NOW - Part I: Love and Hate Collide
by Riot's Lair
Summary: Life goes on for Jerrica Benton as she embarks on a new chapter in her life - turning 25 and coming to terms with a love lost and a love gained. This story takes place where the series left off and follows the Holograms the year after BaNee's going away party. The characters are aged by a couple of years compared to what was alluded to on the show.
1. Chapters 1-3

**CHAPTER ONE**

Jerrica Benton glanced down at her watch as her roadster sped through Sunset Boulevard. It was just after sunrise on a typical Southern California morning in late May. Rush hour was just about to hit its peak.

"I won't be able to get back to the mansion without anyone noticing," she said to herself. "Might as well head to the office and say I had an early day."

At almost 25 years old, Jerrica was the President and CEO of Starlight Music, the company her parents, Emmett and Jacqui, had started over 10 years ago. After her mother's tragic death in a plane crash, her father made Starlight a successful small music label to carry on his wife's legacy. But tragedy struck again just a few years later when he suddenly became ill and passed away, leaving the company to his two daughters. With her sister Kimber just barely out of her teen years, Jerrica had only two options. She could run Starlight herself, or allow it to crumble in the hands of Eric Raymond, the man her father had hired to help him manage the company. While Eric seemed like the perfect heir apparent to run Starlight with his fancy college degree, charisma and business savvy, his true colors began to show soon after Emmett's death. Jerrica had no choice but to take control of the company herself.

Although she was only 22 at the time, she had spent the last several years helping at Starlight. More importantly, the existence of the Starlight Foundation, a home for foster girls that her parents had begun when Jerrica was 10, rested on the success of Starlight Music. Without the music company, there was no foundation. Without the foundation, a dozen foster girls would be without a home and family. The Starlight girls were her family. Her family made her determined to succeed. Three years after taking control of her father's company, Starlight was a powerhouse in the music industry. Its success was all thanks to its biggest band, Jem and the Holograms.

"Good morning, Miss Benton," the security guard greeted her as she arrived at the lobby of her company.

"Good morning, Stan," Jerrica replied. "How are you this morning?" she gleefully asked.

"Just wonderful!" he responded back. "And you? You're earlier than usual."

"Uh, yes," she said hesitantly. "Busy day ahead," she smiled heading into the elevator." While Jerrica was a notorious workaholic who often stayed late at the office, she was hardly ever the first to arrive as she rarely left home before any of the Starlight girls headed off to school.

"Good day, ma'am!" Stan nodded to her as the elevator doors closed.

Jerrica's office was at the top. While the view from her corner office was one of the best of downtown Los Angeles, the elevator ride was definitely not quick and Jerrica found herself sinking into her thoughts on the way up to the 20th floor.

" _What am I doing?"_ She thought to herself. " _Oh, Jerrica, what are you doing?"_ Before she could get lost further in her thoughts, the elevator door opened to her floor.

"Jerrica!" a middle-aged woman with a slight Scottish accent greeted her. "I wasn't expecting to see you here so early today."

"Good morning, Joanie!" she replied. Joanie was in charge of Starlight's every day operations and Jerrica's right hand. She was her father's loyal secretary for years. Therefore, when Jerrica needed a knowledgeable assistant and business manager to help her around Starlight, Joanie was the obvious choice. "I have some meetings today, so I thought I'd get an early start."

"Wonderful then!" Joanie exclaimed. "I dropped today's reports off on your desk."

"Perfect. Thank you, Joanie." Jerrica replied with delight as she entered her office.

"You're welcome, Jerrica. I'll be in my office if you need me," she said as she disappeared down the hallway.

"Another day at Starlight," she sighed. However, before she could even settle into her desk, the phone rang. "Hello?" she answered, wondering who would be calling her at 7am. The Starlight offices did not open until 8am.

"Hi, Jerrica!" a friendly, familiar male voice replied on the other end.

"Rio! Good morning! I wasn't expecting to hear from you," she answered back. Rio Pachecco had been Jerrica's boyfriend for nearly 10 years. He and his family moved into the house next door when Jerrica was just 10 years old and became a household fixture as he shared Emmett Benton's interest in technology. Although her father had passed away long before Jerrica had even thought about getting married one day, she knew she had her father's blessing if Rio were to pop the question. Unfortunately, she and Rio were not on the best of terms.

"I didn't think you'd be in the office so early," he replied. "I figured I'd get your answering machine, but since I have you on the phone, I guess I'll ask you," he gleefully said. "Are you free for dinner tonight?"

"What?" Jerrica sounded confused. "But I thought you're coming home tomorrow."

"I'm heading back today!" he happily replied. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I missed your birthday?" he laughed.

"But my birthday's not until tomorrow," she countered.

"I thought we could start the celebration early!" Rio said enthusiastically. "I'll be at the mansion to pick you up at 7!"

"Okay then," she said trying to sound enthusiastic about his early return. "I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight!" he said before hanging up.

As she hung up the phone, Jerrica sighed. "Well, instead of having another day to figure this out, you have 12 hours," she murmured to herself.

 **CHAPTER TWO**

"Do, do, do, do-," Jerrica quietly sang to herself as she sat at her desk with _Last Christmas_ softly playing in the background, looking through that day's reports and schedule. It had been almost four hours since she got off the phone with Rio. While she tried to occupy her mind with work, all she could think about was her predicament.

"This song is outrageous!" exclaimed a bubbly red head as she suddenly burst through the door. "I love Wham!" It was Kimber Benton, Jerrica's younger sister. While Kimber legally owned 50% of the company, she was happy to let her older sister take the reins. After all, she had a busy gig of her own as keyboardist and songwriter for the Holograms. "But, Sis, why on earth are you listening to Christmas music when it's almost summer?"

"Well good morning, Kimber," Jerrica replied. "I've got something cooking for the Holograms for next Christmas." The Holograms led by their mysterious lead singer, Jem, was Starlight's biggest act and one of the most popular rock groups in the world.

"You mean we're finally going to do a Christmas album?" asked Kimber as she took a seat in one of Jerrica's cushy, leather chairs.

"Not quite," Jerrica began to clarify. "We will be doing –." Before Jerrica could finish her sentence there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she instructed.

"Good morning, Jerrica," said a sultry, male voice as the door began to open. Without even looking, both Bentons knew whom that sexy voice belonged to.

"Riot!" a surprised Kimber greeted him.

"Good morning, Kimber," Riot replied with a smile. "I realize I'm a bit early for our 11 o'clock meeting," he said turning to Jerrica, "but I can wait if I'm interrupting."

"No, not at all!" Jerrica smiled as she stood up from her chair to greet the Stingers' front man. "In fact, I was just about to tell Kimber about our meeting," she said as Riot planted a soft, delicate kiss on her hand, his signature greeting. Jerrica blushed.

"Oh?" Kimber wondered.

"Jem and Riot," Jerrica began as Riot took a seat on the couch, "had this wonderful idea to collaborate on a Christmas album," she beamed. "But it won't just be the Stingers and Holograms –."

"Please don't tell me you want to include the Misfits," the younger Benton interrupted.

"Actually," Riot replied, "we were hoping you could perform a duet with Stormer. You two have performed together before, have you not?"

"Well, yes," Kimber responded. "She is a friend of mine. But what will the rest of the Misfits say if Stormer has a gig and they don't?"

"No need to worry," Riot reassured her. "They work for me," he said bluntly with a subtle arrogance. In addition to being the lead singer of the hottest new band in town, Riot was also co-owner of Stingers Sound, the Misfits' record label. "Plus, I'll give them a song to do just to keep them from causing mischief," he added. "Perhaps we'll use it, perhaps we won't," he impishly smiled at Jerrica. She amusingly smiled back, trying not to blush.

"As long as you know what you're doing," replied Kimber.

"Have I ever been wrong?" asked the Stinger with a smile.

"We want to do some classic Christmas songs and some ones of our own," Jerrica interjected. "That means we'll need you to write some songs."

"That would be outrageous!" exclaimed her younger sister. "I love Christmas! How long do I have?"

"We want to finish recording by the end of summer for a late November release date," Jerrica informed her.

"I guess I better get started!" she said as she got up from her chair. "I'll leave you two to your meeting." She raised her brow to Jerrica.

"Thank you, Kimber," Riot said as he stood to shake her hand.

Once the Hologram left, Jerrica proceeded to grab a stack of papers from her desk. "Here's a list of the musicians I've contacted who are interested in doing the album with us," she said, handing Riot some papers. "Here are some bands we still need to contact. Unfortunately, there's one band I'd love to get on board, but I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone."

"Which band and where are they located?" asked Riot.

"Voyager. They're from London," Jerrica responded. "Perhaps one of us will need to head out there to track them down."

"Things have been a little crazy at Stingers Sound since Eric ran off to God knows where," he began. Eric Raymond, Jerrica's longtime adversary and manager of the Misfits, was the other co-owner of Stingers Sound. Although they were business partners, Riot detested Eric and trusted him even less than Jerrica. "But perhaps I could use the time away," he continued. "Will the Holograms have some time off soon?"

Jerrica knew what he was implying. "I believe so," she replied, trying not to smile.

"Good," Riot replied happily. "I will make the arrangements to head to London as soon as possible."

"Great!" Jerrica replied. "Now, here are the contracts I had our lawyers draw up for the Christmas album," she said handing him a manila envelope. "Please feel free to have your lawyers look through them."

"That won't be necessary," he quickly replied, taking out the contents of the envelope. "I know you're an honest business woman, Jerrica," he said as he began signing the contract. "Jem speaks very highly of you."

"Oh?" she smiled.

"I can tell you've been very influential in her life," he answered flipping through each page.

"How so?" she inquired with curiosity.

"Jem isn't like most musicians I've come across," he began as he stopped to look at Jerrica. "While she's beautiful and talented and very compassionate, she also has a firm grasp of the music business, which I presume is thanks to you," he smiled.

"I guess you can say she's a very intuitive person," Jerrica smiled.

"Who do you think gave me the idea to even suggest such a collaboration?" he asked, referring to the Christmas album.

"Well I guess I owe her a thank you," she answered back trying hard not to blush.

"There!" he said handing Jerrica the signed contract. "Is Jem by chance here today?"

"Uh, I believe she's working on something for the foundation this morning," she quickly responded. "But she's scheduled to be in the studio at noon. You're welcome to wait for her."

"No, that won't be necessary, but thank you," he replied. "I have a recording session myself at noon, but if you see her, please tell her to expect a call from me around then."

"Absolutely!" Jerrica beamed as she walked Riot to the door.

"Jerrica Benton, it has been a pleasure," he said as he grabbed her hand to plant his signature kiss.

Jerrica blushed. "See you later, Riot," she managed to say as he exited her office and closed the door behind him. Once alone, Jerrica came back down to reality. She sighed.

 **CHAPTER THREE**

"And that's a cut!"

"Great job everyone!" the Holograms said to one another.

"Great sound, Jem!" exclaimed the recording studio engineer.

"Thank you!" Jem humbly replied.

"You're in a happy mood!" Kimber said to the pink haired rock star.

"Yeah, what gives?" Aja Leith, her long-time friend and guitarist for the Holograms, prompted her.

"Nothing! I feel pretty good today," Jem confidently replied to her friends.

"Hey! I forgot to ask earlier, why'd you head to the office so early?" Aja inquired. "We didn't see you leave this morning." All the Holograms lived at the Starlight Mansion with the foster girls and Mrs. Bailey, the woman Emmett hired to help raise his girls when Jacqui died. When Emmett passed away, Mrs. Bailey moved into the Starlight house to help Jerrica, Kimber, Aja and Shana Elmsford, who were both foster girls themselves, take care of the younger girls.

"She had a hot date!" Kimber teased.

"What do you mean?" Jem got defensive.

"Don't get your undies in a tussle, Sis!" Kimber responded. "I'm just teasing you about your meeting earlier with Riot." Unbeknownst to the world and only known to the Holograms, Jem was actually Jerrica Benton in disguise. Even Rio never knew the biggest secret in the music industry.

"What's going on with you and Riot?" Shana asked.

"Nothing!" Jem declared.

"But you're all flushed," her sister pointed out.

Just as Jem was about to burst her own little secret unbeknownst to her friends and sister, the phone rang. "Hello?" Jem answered trying to hide her agitation.

"Jem, are you alright?" asked the male voice on the other end.

Jem knew exactly who it was, but for her sake, she avoided saying his name in front of the other Holograms. "Yes, I'm fine!" she gleefully responded.

"I couldn't help but sense a bit agitation in your voice," Riot replied.

"I'm alright, I promise," she reassured him.

"Well, good then," he answered back. "Did Jerrica happen to mention that I would be calling?"

"Why yes, yes she did!" she answered.

"Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, I have plans with the Holograms," she quickly answered.

"Oh," he replied, sounding a bit disappointed. "Since tomorrow's the concert and it's on your birthday, I thought we could celebrate a day early. How about lunch tomorrow then?" he asked optimistically.

"That would be wonderful actually," she replied.

"Okay then. Shall I have my car pick you up at Starlight Music at noon?" he happily asked.

"That's perfect! I'll see you then," she quietly said into the phone.

"I shall look forward to tomorrow then," he said as he hung up.

"That was him, wasn't it?" Aja began to interrogate.

"Well thank you for eavesdropping," Jem sarcastically remarked. "But if you must know, yes, it was him," she confessed. "We have some business to talk about."

"The first time you said that, you disappeared with him for four hours," Aja pointed out, referring to the time they first met the Stingers at the Rock Hard Café, and a melee ensued when Pizzazz, lead singer of the Misfits, grew jealous of Riot's interest in Jem.

"If you don't believe me, ask Kimber," Jem responded. "Care to share the big news with them, Sis?"

"Yes it's true," Kimber confirmed. "The Holograms are collaborating on a Christmas album with the Stingers."

"The _Stingers_?" a befuddled Shana asked.

"Not just the Stingers," Jem responded. "We have a list going of ten other singers and bands to include on the album. We, I mean, Jerrica and Riot are working on getting those other bands on board."

"But why would _we_ want to do a Christmas album with the Stingers?" Aja inquired with the feeling there was more to it.

"It was Riot's idea," Jem confessed. "After our performance with the Stingers at the magic show, he couldn't get over how popular the single became. He thought a Christmas album would be a huge hit."

"Of course he'd want to use us to give the Stingers more attention," Aja replied.

"No!" Jem protested. "That couldn't be further from the truth! Half the proceeds are going straight to the Starlight Foundation."

"You mean Riot agreed to give half the profits to the Starlight house?" a surprised Raya Alonso, drummer and newest member of the Holograms, asked. Unlike the rest of the Holograms, Raya was not part of the original group and only joined when Shana took a leave of absence to pursue her interest in fashion. When Shana returned to the band, the girls could not bear to part ways with Raya, so they kept her onboard as their drummer while Shana moved over to guitar.

"No, he didn't agree," Jem replied. "It was his idea!"

"I find that hard to believe with Riot," a skeptical Aja replied.

"I think you all must have forgotten who found BaNee's father," Jem reminded them. Up until recently, BaNee was one of their foster girls. She had grown desperate to find her father who had no idea she even existed. Her mother had found out she was pregnant after her father, a US Army officer, became a prisoner of war in Vietnam. It was through Riot's help and his father's connections in the US Military that helped them track down Mr. O'Carolyn.

"I'm sorry," Aja replied. "I know Riot really came through for us, but –."

"But what?" Jem interrupted. "He's not the same person you think he is. You just don't know him as well as I do."

"I guess we don't," Shana interjected.

"We're sorry, Jem," Raya chimed in trying to diffuse the situation.

"It's okay," Jem replied. "He's a really good guy and I wish we could all just be friends."

"He's okay in my book, if you say he is," Shana hugged her as her way of calling truce.

"Alright, I'll give him a chance," Aja hesitantly replied. It wasn't just her first impressions of Riot as an arrogant and self-centered rock star that rubbed Aja the wrong way. It was the fact that Rio was one of Aja's best friends and Riot was a thorn in Rio's relationship with Jem.

"Okay then," Jem anxiously smiled. "If we're done here, I'll see you ladies later. I've got some paperwork to finish before I head home."

As the Holograms piled out of the studio and headed to their respective destinations, Kimber followed her sister, now as Jerrica, back to her office. "Is that all he is, just a friend?" Kimber asked as she entered Jerrica's office.

"Kimber!" a startled Jerrica replied. "I thought you had some songwriting to do?"

"I've got time," Kimber answered. "Now, what's going on with you and Riot?"


	2. Chapters 4-6

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Jerrica, all dolled up in a black, sequined, off –the-shoulder cocktail dress, sat at her vanity, staring directly into her own reflection. The clock read 6:40. She knew it would just be a matter of minutes before Rio would arrive. If not punctual, he was always early. She sighed. It was something she had done plenty of that entire day.

Since Jem and the Holograms came along, Jerrica had greatly leaned on Rio's help. She hired him as the Holograms road manager as well as Starlight's chief stage engineer. He was one of the very few people she trusted. However, it was through his time spent on the road with the Holograms that Rio began to grow feelings for Jem, not realizing she was in fact his own girlfriend. Fearful of how he would react to the truth, she kept the secret of Jem's identity from him knowing that Rio hated deception. Before she realized it, Jerrica found herself in a love triangle between her alter ego and her own boyfriend.

It seemed like a simple solution to tell him the truth. After all, she knew she could trust him with her secret. However, she feared she would lose him, especially after all those times she denied she was Jem. She needed him. He had been there all those years for her, through the death of both of her parents to the initial struggles of running Starlight. If something went wrong, Rio always came to her and the Holograms' rescue. She owed him a great deal of gratitude for where she was today. He wasn't just her boyfriend. He was a part of her family, and she couldn't bare losing any more family.

As Jerrica continued to keep the secret from him, his feelings for Jem continued to grow, causing tension in their own relationship. To make matters worse, Rio grew very jealous of Riot when the Stingers came to town as he now had competition when it came to Jem's feelings. That not only caused Jerrica to feel resentment towards Rio, but it drove her, as Jem, closer to Riot. After all, Jem had no commitments to anyone; and where Riot was concerned, there was no confusion as to whom he wanted.

With the Holograms on break from touring, Rio decided to take on a four-month project at his college alma mater, splitting his time between Los Angeles and Palo Alto. Confused by his feelings for both Jem and Jerrica, Rio thought the time spent apart from Starlight and the Holograms would help him sort through his feelings once and for all. Unfortunately for Rio, with him out of town, Jem found herself growing closer to Riot. While Jem initially resisted Riot's advances, it was only a matter of time before the Stinger won her heart.

In the last few months, Riot had opened up to Jem and she began to see an entirely new person. It all began at the Stingers' release party when his father unexpectedly showed up to start a fight with him, blaming him for his mother's illness. It was through Jem's support of Riot that led him and his father, George, to make amends for the sake of his mother's health. She ultimately recovered from her mysterious illness leaving Riot eternally grateful to Jem for his mother's health and a newfound relationship with his father. Since that trying time, a once arrogant and self-centered Riot began showing his true colors to Jem. While he continued with his haughty rock star persona on stage, he was slowly becoming a different Riot off stage. Jem found herself falling in love with the caring and more humbled Rory Llewelyn, Riot's real name.

Lost in her thoughts for the hundredth time that day, Jerrica hadn't realized that Kimber had been knocking on her door until the younger Benton decided to just barge in her sister's room. "Earth to Jerrica?" Kimber asked. "Are you okay, Sis?"

"I'm sorry, Kimber," Jerrica replied. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"You look pretty outrageous for someone with a lot on her mind," Kimber complemented her. "You still have time. I can call Rio and tell him you're not feeling well," she jokingly suggested.

"No, that'll be alright," Jerrica reassured her. "I need to do this."

"Are you really going to end it with him tonight?" Kimber asked.

"I don't know," Jerrica sighed. "I don't know how much of the truth I should tell, but I just know I need to tell him the truth!" Jerrica blurted.

"The truth about who you are, or the truth about who you are really in love with?" Kimber clarified.

"Both, I guess," Jerrica muttered, sounding unsure of herself.

"Take it from me," Kimber advised, "the last thing either one of you needs is for you to keep stringing him along as if nothing has changed. Everything has changed! You aren't the same people you were three years ago." As much as Jerrica often advised her sister, she knew this time she needed her advice. Kimber was right, everything had changed and it wasn't fair to Rio, nor Riot, or even to herself to keep pretending like nothing had changed.

"I just don't want to hurt him," Jerrica responded. "He's one of my best friends."

"It's obvious you're not in love with him though," Kimber admitted. "I've been seeing it coming."

"How so?" Jerrica curiously asked.

"You've been referring to him more as one of your best friends rather than boyfriend these days," her sister pointed out.

"I don't know if I can do this," Jerrica sadly admitted as tears started to form in her eyes.

Kimber leaned over to comfort her sister. "Jerrica, you've done some wildly outrageous things, things I couldn't imagine doing and things you'd get mad at me for, to keep your relationship, I mean, Jem's relationship with Riot a secret. You can't keep doing this. It's not fair to anyone!"

"Jerrica!" Aja called from downstairs. "Rio's here."

Jerrica turned to Kimber and sighed. Realizing the truth in her sister's words, she knew it was time to stop the charade and finally tell Rio the truth.

"You can do this!" Kimber urged her. "But you may want to check your make up first."

"Thanks, Kimber," Jerrica managed to let out a little laugh as they hugged.

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

"Here you are, Messieurs," the maître d said as he motioned Rio and Jerrica to their table nestled at the corner of the restaurant, next to the window overlooking the street. He pulled a chair out for Jerrica as Rio took his seat. "Your waiter will be here shortly," he said as he turned to leave.

"Merci," Jerrica replied.

"Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?" Rio asked as he placed his hand on top of hers.

"Only about a hundred times," Jerrica awkwardly smiled.

"It's only been a few weeks since I last saw you at BaNee's going away party, but there's something different about you," he added.

"Oh?" she curiously asked. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just the way you're wearing your hair these days. That dress. You just look wonderful!" he complimented her, gazing at her new look. The once ultra-conservative dresser started taking fashion cues from her alter ego. While she refrained from rocking the pink hair, she did begin to grow it out a little longer and added a bit of layers.

"Well, thank you," Jerrica replied. "Now tell me how your project's going?"

"It's going faster than planned," he exclaimed. "That's why I'm here. We're a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, so I thought I'd take a couple of days off before heading back to finish it." After a brief pause, Rio began, "Jerrica, I've been thinking about stuff while I've been away."

"Yes, Rio," she choked as she felt the guilt in her heart stabbing her core. "I have too."

"I've given us a lot of thought," he said as she felt his palms begin to sweat, "and being away made me realize how important you are to me." He suddenly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box. Before Jerrica knew it, she was hearing the words, "Will you marry me?"

Taken aback, Jerrica's body froze. Her limbs felt unattached to her body and the room began to spin. She could barely muster a response other than, "I, I –." Trying hard to avoid looking at Rio, her eyes fixated upon the pear-shaped diamond solitaire ring. She didn't want to hurt him. She still loved him, as a friend. However, she knew she wasn't in love with him. Although she had no idea if she even had a future with the man she _was_ in love with, she knew marrying Rio would be a mistake. But the last thing she wanted to do at that moment was to hurt him. As she began to form the words to say, a sudden flash of light blinded her. "What's going on?" she demanded to know.

"Congratulations, Jerrica Benton!" cried a familiar voice. It was Harriet Horn, host of L.A.'s most popular gossip show.

"What are you doing?" Jerrica angrily asked the talk show host.

"I was sitting right over there when I happened to notice that little black box," she smiled. "So aren't you going to put the ring on?" Harriet urged.

"But I –." Jerrica couldn't say no with L.A's biggest blabber mouth standing right in front of them, waiting to break the next juiciest celebrity news. While Jerrica nor Rio weren't quite celebrities, their affiliation with Jem and The Holograms and Rio's rumored trysts with Jem made them well known in celebrity gossip land. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Rio, especially with the world watching. With no other choice, she hesitantly held out her left hand.

"We'll have to get it fitted," Rio said referring to how loose the ring was on her finger.

"It's beautiful," Jerrica said as she started to cry. Unbeknownst to Rio, her tears weren't tears of joy.

"Well congratulations, you two love birds," Harriet exclaimed. "I look forward to hearing about all the wedding details!"

As Jerrica's eyes followed Harriet and her photographer walking out of the restaurant, she felt a slight sense of relief. Unfortunately, the daunting task of telling Rio the truth just became even harder. Just as she was about to suggest leaving the restaurant to go somewhere private to talk, they were joined by the maître d once again.

"I'm sorry, Messieurs," he interrupted. "I have a message for Mademoiselle Benton from a Mademoiselle Leith that your sister is in the hospital."

"What?" Jerrica cried. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry, but she did not say," the maître d answered.

"Thank you," Jerrica replied. "I have to get to her, Rio," Jerrica said, scrambling for her belongings.

"Of course!" Rio replied as he stood to leave with her.

 **CHAPTER SIX**

Jerrica and Rio arrived at Memorial Hospital just as a nurse wheeled Kimber into a private room. "What happened?!" Jerrica shrieked as she saw her sister lying in bed with a soft cast on her right leg.

"How many Holograms does it take to change a light bulb?" Aja joked.

"What?" Jerrica said sounding confused. Her sister was in the hospital and her friend was making jokes.

"Two!" Kimber answered, "One to catch the bulb as the other falls off the ladder." Aja and Kimber broke out into laughter. "Come on, Sis! That was funny," she said turning to Jerrica.

"We thought it was something serious," Rio chimed in.

"Well, it could be serious," Kimber admitted. "We won't know until tomorrow when the specialist arrives, but I may need surgery on my foot."

"So this all happened when you fell off a ladder trying to change a light bulb?" Jerrica asked in disbelief.

"Yep!" Kimber answered cheerfully.

"At least you're in good spirits," Rio commented.

"What can you do?" Aja asked rhetorically. "It was a freak accident. I couldn't get to her in time to break her fall, but I caught the bulb," she said, laughing once more.

"What is _that_ on your finger?" Kimber said, spying on the one-carat pear-shaped solitaire.

"We're engaged!" Rio happily answered. Kimber's eyes widened.

"Congratulations!" Aja cried as she walked over to her friends to give them a congratulatory hug.

"Well this is a surprise," Kimber gave her sister an odd look.

"Rio asked me tonight, unfortunately, with Harriet Horn nearby," Jerrica said glumly.

"That's okay," Rio comforted her. "Don't let her rain on our parade."

"That's right!" Aja agreed. "Plus, she just spared you the time spent on having to send out formal announcements, right?" she added, trying to make light of the situation. "You two should be out celebrating!"

"If Kimber's okay, I'm down with finishing our dinner we never started," Rio suggested.

"I'm fine. Go ahead," Kimber urged.

After a long pause, Jerrica turned down Rio's offer. "I'm a little flustered after seeing Harriet Horn and then racing all the way here," she explained. "Would you mind if I stayed with Kimber?"

"Sure," Rio said, a bit disappointed. "Just let me know if you need anything, okay?" he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. Jerrica nodded. "Aja, can I give you a ride back to the mansion?"

"Are you two going to be okay?" she asked, turning to the Benton sisters.

"Go on," Kimber urged. "We'll be fine. The girls need you more than we do."

"Alright," Aja agreed, giving them a hug good-bye. "I'll let the others know you'll be staying here tonight," she said to Jerrica.

"Thanks, Aja," Jerrica replied as they watched Rio and Aja leave the room.

"What is going on, Sis?!" Kimber demanded to know once they were alone.

"He beat me to it," Jerrica sighed. "I was going to start talking about stuff and then all of sudden he started talking. Next thing I knew, he pulls out this ring and then Harriet Horn is standing over us, giving us her congratulations. Oh, Kimber, I just couldn't do it! At least not then. I couldn't embarrass Rio in front of Harriet Horn."

"So what are you going to do now?" Kimber asked. "You don't look like a blushing bride."

"I know," Jerrica admitted. "I never even said yes! I just let him put the ring on since Harriet was there. He's going to hate me even more now," Jerrica began to cry.

"Oh, please don't cry, Jerrica," her sister pleaded. "You were just trying to be considerate of the situation."

"Thanks, Kimber," the older Benton managed to say as she curled up next to her sister. "But what bothers me most is that he didn't even mention anything about the last time he was here."

"Nothing about Jem?" Kimber asked surprised.

"No," Jerrica sighed. "It was as if BaNee's party never happened."

"I don't think anyone has forgotten BaNee's party, or how he stormed out of there without a word," Kimber reminded her.

"I have to tell Rio," Jerrica adamantly said. "This can't go on longer than it already has."

Kimber yawned. "I'm sorry, I guess that's the painkillers talking," she giggled.

"That's quite alright, Kimber," Jerrica said comforting her sister. "I should let you get some sleep."

"Okaaay," she yawned once more. "Go home. I'll see you in the morning," she said as she dozed off for the night.

"Good-night," she said as she kissed her sister on the forehead.


	3. Chapters 7-9

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Jerrica hopped into her roadster, trying to take in the events that unfolded that night. Still shaken up from the surprise engagement and Harriet Horn's surprise appearance, as well as Kimber's broken foot, she barely managed to get the key into the ignition, let alone keep the loose engagement ring on her finger.

"Oh no!" she gasped as the ring fell onto the floor of roadster. "Well I'm not going to find it tonight," she sighed. The clock read 11:45.

As she drove away from the hospital, she found herself headed to Malibu instead of taking the highway towards Starlight Mansion. She was tired, but too fired up to sleep. She knew she'd be tossing and turning until morning. She couldn't go back to the mansion. Although it was late, she feared Rio might still be over there visiting with the rest of the Holograms. The last thing she wanted to talk about or even think about was the engagement, or lack thereof.

After a 10-minute drive along the coast, she pulled onto a long road off the boulevard. At the end of the road was a long driveway with a small two-bedroom cottage at the very end, nestled among a sea of larger beach houses overlooking the Pacific. This was "Jem's" house. Jerrica purchased it to pass off as Jem's own place.

For the last three years, the mystery of Jem's real identity was the talk of Hollywood. No one knew where she came from, where she lived, or what her real name was. She just managed to show up whenever she needed to be somewhere. At first, it was the biggest topic in the music world. Eric Raymond had even offered reward money to anyone who could uncover Jem's identity. However, as the world realized that pursuing Jem's real identity was a dead end, people grew to accept the fact that she was just Jem and the press stopped hounding her.

Even Rio had stopped asking about who she really was. Although it bothered him that he knew very little about her, it bothered him even more to see the press prying into her private life against her own wishes. Jerrica's secret finally seemed safe. That was until the Stingers hit town.

From the moment Riot met Jem, he had uncharacteristically opened his heart to her. Riot was a professional. He carried on with the mantra of "business as usual," and rarely gave the press anything to write about other than his performance on stage, or his business dealings as head of Stinger Sound. He let very few people into his inner circle as well. Even his bandmates, Minx and Rapture, knew very little about his life before they became a band. But with Jem, he was different. She was different. He felt a special connection to her from the very first time he laid eyes on her. While she wasn't as open about her private life with him as he was with her, he was okay with that. He respected that she wanted to keep her private life private and found it more of a challenge in proving he was worthy of her trust rather than just winning her heart.

As Jem began to know more about Riot, she felt guilty that she couldn't be as open to him about her. She often mentioned little things to him about her family, but nowhere in detail like she knew about his life. The easiest option would have been to distance herself and keep her relationship with him strictly business, but she found that impossible to do. There was no denying she found him attractive, but that was just a persona. She found herself even more attracted to Rory Llewelyn. Furthermore, she wanted him to find her true self as attractive as her own rock star persona.

Confused about how to handle her blossoming feelings towards Riot, Jerrica did the unthinkable. She secretly purchased a small cottage just outside of West Malibu from her close friend and film producer, Howard Sands. With Jem's celebrity on the rise, Jerrica explained to Howard that she needed a place secluded from the rest of the world where it would be difficult to track her down. Howard agreed and even promised to never to say a single word of this even to any of the Holograms.

As much as she hated dragging Howard into her web of deception and lies, there was truth to Jerrica's explanation. She did need a place of her own. A place away from prying eyes and ears, even of her own sister and closest friends. It wasn't just a place she could spend time with Riot privately. He had a place of his own too. But she wanted a place for herself, other than her office, to be in her own thoughts rather than having to listen to everyone else around her. Even when Riot wasn't with her, she enjoyed the time to herself, finding a day or two a week to be away from the mansion, or Starlight Music. When she wasn't at Starlight, they thought she was working from home. When she wasn't at home, they thought she was working at Starlight. No one ever noticed when she wasn't at either place and never questioned how often she was away from the mansion as she had always been a notorious workaholic. Even on nights she spent with Riot, she always made sure she was home early enough so no one would notice she was ever gone. She took the Starlight Foundation as seriously as she ran Starlight Music and was there for her foster girls like she had always been. But dividing her time between two "homes" was now taking its toll on her. It was bad enough she had to split time between her two identities. She hated keeping this charade from those closest to her. Although she never intended to tell Kimber so soon, she found it a relief to tell her sister earlier that day.

As her roadster pulled in front of the cottage, she made sure to change into Jem. After all, this was Jem's place. "Showtime, Synergy," she said as she touched her red Jem star earrings. With a flash of light, Jerrica became Jem.

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

Jem laid awake in her bed. She had been tossing and turning all night. When she finally managed to fall asleep, she was woken up by her thoughts once more. "Oh this is useless!" she sighed. "Might as well get up and head to the hospital before anyone else notices I wasn't there last night."

But Jem didn't want to get up. She didn't want to leave her house. She didn't want to face the world, especially Rio. How could Jerrica pretend to be the blushing bride-to-be when she didn't even say yes? She had prepared to tell Rio the truth about her feelings and identity, but instead, she found herself engaged, but not really.

Tossing side to side, she happened to glance upon the one and only picture she had in her room. It was of her, Riot and BaNee at BaNee's going away party. Her friend and official Holograms videographer, Video, had taken it of them. Riot had given it to her as a housewarming gift since he had noticed her lack of decorations when he first came to visit her new place. She pulled the photo towards her and began to think about that fateful night that changed her relationship with both Rio and Riot forever.

As Mr. O'Carolyn's car pulled away and disappeared around the corner, the guests began to filter out. Lost in disbelief that her little girl was gone and thinking the guests had all left, Jem wandered off into the garden to let the moment sink in. The tears began to fall as she realized she lost another member of her family. She knew that this was what BaNee wanted and that she was happy. That was all that really mattered. For selfish reasons, she wished her girls were all still there.

"Is this a private rampage, or can anyone join?" a familiar voice softly said from behind.

"Riot!" Jem greeted him.

"I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you could use a friend," he said reaching his hand out for her to take.

"I'm sorry, I thought you had left," Jem said, reciprocating his gesture. "I usually don't leave my guests like this. How rude of me," she said as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Nonsense," Riot reassured her. "You have every right to be alone. I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I'll be fine, I promise," Jem smiled. As Riot leaned in to kiss Jem's forehead good-bye, she gripped his hand tightly and nestled her head onto his chest as she closed her eyes. "Please, don't go," she whispered. Riot wrapped his arms around her and held her tight for what felt like an eternity. Jem didn't want that moment to end and neither did Riot. It felt like they were the only two people on earth and nothing else mattered. Jem had been there for Riot when he needed someone the most. He wanted to do the same for her.

Unbeknownst to them, they were joined by Rio. "Jem, I'm leaving now. Have you seen Jerrica?" he angrily said after witnessing the exchange between her and Riot, the man he detested more than Eric Raymond.

Startled by his voice, Jem pulled away from Riot's embrace and crash-landed back down to reality. "Rio!" Jem cried.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," he barked as he glared at Riot.

"I'll be right over here if you need me," Riot whispered into her ear as his fingers grazed through hers, returning Rio's glare as he stepped away.

"I have no clue where she is," Jem answered not sure of what else to say to Rio. For the first time, she felt like she didn't owe him an explanation.

"What's going on between you and Mr. Ego over there?" Rio bluntly asked, mocking the Stingers front man.

"I'm sorry, Rio, but that's really none of your business," Jem frankly told him.

"You know, Jem," he began, "I thought you'd be a little happier to see me after I've been away for a couple of months. So I was a little surprised that the first thing you do when I get back is send me off somewhere with Raya to help you and your friends find some guy who could be BaNee's father. Now I know why!" he yelled as he turned to walk away.

Just a few short months ago, Jem would have gone after him and pleaded with him to stay. But now, she just watched him go. She didn't have the urge to chase after him. Most importantly, she didn't have the desire to make amends with him. As she turned away, she fell straight into the arms of an awaiting Riot.

Jem sighed as she relived that moment in her head. While that was pretty much the end of Jem's relationship with Rio, things were never officially over between him and Jerrica. Although, Rio never found Jerrica that night, he called her a few days later. She pretended everything was fine. He told her he'd be back in time for her birthday. That gave Jerrica sometime to think about _their_ relationship. Little did she realize that he would propose when he returned.

 _Ding Dong_

" _Oh who could that be this early in the morning?"_ she thought. The clock read 7:00. It couldn't have been Riot. He never dropped in on her unannounced. He always called. _"Maybe they'll go away if I don't answer,"_ she thought to herself.

 _Ding Dong_

"Alright! Alright! I'll get up!" she murmured as she grabbed her robe and headed to the front door. "Who is it?" she asked.

No answer. She peeped outside to see if anyone was there, but saw a delivery truck pulling away instead. As she opened the door, a bouquet of two dozen pink roses were waiting for her at the doorstep. She opened the card.

 _Happy Birthday, my lovely. Looking forward to celebrating. –R._

Jem beamed from ear to ear as she felt a sudden warmth in her heart. If there was a reason to get up and face the world that day, she was just reminded of it, _him_.

 **CHAPTER NINE**

It was just after 8 o'clock when Jerrica wandered into Kimber's hospital room only to be met by Aja, Shana, Raya, and Rio instead. She didn't expect to see them there for at least another 30 minutes since the girls headed off to school at 8.

"Where have you been?" Rio demanded to know. "We called your office but you weren't there."

"How long have you all been here? Where's Kimber? What's going on?" she frantically asked worried about her sister and hoping she never had to answer the question of where she had been all night.

"Kimber's getting another x-ray," Aja explained. "We all got here just as they were taking her out of the room. She should be back by 8:30. The doctor said it shouldn't take more than an hour."

" _They've been here for 30 minutes,"_ she thought. _"How am I going to explain where I've been to them?"_

"Where's your ring?" a concerned Rio asked. Jerrica had forgotten she dropped it somewhere in her car the night before.

"Um," she began, "it was too loose, so I took it off for safekeeping."

"Oh!" he replied. "Tell me where it is and I can get it properly sized later."

Before Jerrica could reply, she was met with congratulatory hugs from Raya and Shana. "Sorry to interrupt," Shana said, "but we didn't get a chance to congratulate you last night."

"Thank you," Jerrica managed to smile. Trying to change the subject, "Any news on whether Kimber will need surgery?" she asked.

"The doctor thinks it's a most likely," Aja answered. "They need more X-rays just to be sure, but she's definitely out for tonight's concert."

"Tonight's concert! I forgot all about!" Jerrica cried. "I should have realized this last night and told Riot." The Stingers and Holograms were two of the headlining acts in that evening's bash to kick off the Hollywood Bowl Summer Concert series. Both groups were scheduled to perform together. "I have to head to the office and cancel the performance. Please tell Kimber I'll check up on her when she's back in the room," she said running out the door.

"Jerrica!" Rio called out, but she didn't hear him, or pretended not to.

"Did she seem a little jittery to you?" Raya casually asked.

"A little?" Aja sarcastically asked. "She's nervous about something or she's had way too much coffee," she joked.


	4. Chapters 10-12

**CHAPTER TEN**

Jerrica quickly arrived at Starlight Music. Luckily, the hospital was just a few blocks away. As she entered her office, she was met with a bouquet of white calla lilies. _"How beautiful!"_ she thought, figuring it was for her birthday. It wasn't just Jem's birthday, it was Jerrica's too. She pulled out a small card.

 _Best wishes on your engagement. – The Stingers_

" _But how?"_ she thought. How in the world did the Stingers know she was engaged? She knew Jem hadn't spoken to Riot and neither of the Holograms would have said anything to him, or Minx and Rapture for that matter.

"Jerrica! Congratulations!" exclaimed Joanie as she walked into Jerrica's office.

"Thank you, Joanie," Jerrica managed to smile.

"You shouldn't be here today! It's your birthday and your day to celebrate your engagement!" Joanie cheerfully said to her.

"I'm sorry, Joanie, but how did you find out?" Jerrica curiously asked.

"It was in the paper," she replied. Jerrica's jaw drop.

"That Harriet Horn!" she cried.

"I take it you didn't want anyone to know?" Joanie asked rhetorically.

"Well, I didn't want people finding out this way," she complained, picking up the paper to glance at the headline, _CEO of Starlight Music to marry long-time boyfriend._

"I'm sorry, Jerrica," Joanie consoled her.

"That's okay, Joanie. It wasn't your fault," she reassured her. "I have to make some important phone calls this morning. I don't know if you've heard, but Kimber broke her foot last night, so I have to take the Holograms off tonight's concert. Can you make sure I'm not bothered for the rest of the morning? And that means everyone that tries to come to my office."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jerrica. Of course," Joanie replied as she quickly made her way to the door to leave Jerrica to work.

"Could this day start out any worse than yesterday ended?" she sighed to herself as she walked to her phone to make a call.

"Stingers Sound," said a female voice on the other end.

"Jerrica Benton calling for Rory Llewelyn," she replied. On stage and even in interviews he was Riot, but at Stingers Sound, he was Rory Llewelyn, but only Jem and Jerrica referred to him as such. Everyone else, including the other Stingers, continued to address him by his stage name.

"One moment, please," said the voice. As the receptionist put the phone on hold, the Stingers' hit song "Destiny" erupted over the phone. Waiting on hold for Riot, Jerrica sank into the sensual melody of his voice as he sang,

 _It's destiny_

 _The dreams I dream are destined to be_

 _I can see_

 _The future and I'm satisfied_

 _You and me_

 _It's destiny_

 _Fate is on my side –_

"Jerrica? . . . Are you there? Hello . . ."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Riot, I'm here," Jerrica quickly replied realizing it was actually Riot on the phone.

"What do I owe the pleasure of your call this morning?" he cheerfully asked.

"First off, thank you for the flowers," she awkwardly mentioned.

"I wish you find happiness in your future with your fiancé," he answered. "But a phone call wasn't necessary. I know you're a busy woman," he explained.

"Well, Riot," she began, "the reason for my call is about tonight's concert."

"Oh?" he asked, sounding curious.

"Kimber broke her foot last night. She'll most likely head into surgery later today, or maybe tomorrow. But the Holograms are definitely out of the concert," she said.

After a long pause, "I'm very sorry to hear that," Riot replied. "Please tell your sister that I hope she has a quick recovery."

"I will and thank you," Jerrica responded.

As she was just about to hang up, Riot asked, "Can't Jem perform without the Holograms?"

 _Perform without the Holograms?_ Jerrica was at a loss for words. Jem was never on stage without her group. "I, I, I don't know," Jerrica stuttered. "I'll need to check with her and the rest of the group."

"I apologize for putting you and Jem in an uncomfortable position with the rest of the band," he started, "but it's really only her voice we'll need for _Believe_ ," Riot explained referencing the song the Stingers and Holograms performed at the magic show. "We won't even need Minx and Rapture to play. We'll just use a recording of the music," he suggested.

"But what if the bands just performed the song without Kimber?" Jerrica countered. "Could Minx cover Kimber's part?"

"On such short notice?" Riot hesitated. "If we had a few days to rehearse, we could do it, but we only have just a few hours. It'll just be one song. The fans will be disappointed without Jem and the Holograms, but an appearance by Jem would appease the situation and create huge anticipation for the Christmas album. Wouldn't you agree?" he further tried to convince Jerrica.

"I see your point, Riot," Jerrica admitted. "And I agree. Let me talk to Jem and I'll get back to you," she replied.

"That won't be necessary, Jerrica," Riot responded. "I'll be having lunch with Jem today. She can tell me then."

"Alright, Riot. I guess I will talk to you later then," Jerrica replied as she moved to hang up the phone.

"Good-bye, Jerrica," he said as the call ended.

"What should I do?" she murmured, thinking the day wasn't getting any easier on her. "I need to tell the Holograms in person."

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

"Good morning, Riot," Rapture gleefully greeted him as she and Minx strolled into his office at Stingers Sound.

"Good morning, Ladies," the brawny rock star greeted back. "Why the glum look?" he asked Minx.

"She read this morning's newspaper headline," Rapture informed him, referring to Jerrica and Rio's engagement.

"What would provoke you to do such a thing, Minx?" a surprised Riot asked. Local and world affairs were of no interest to her, unless it involved her.

"What would I want with an idiot anyway?" Minx, in her German accent, mused to her bandmates. "Jerrica can have him," she proclaimed.

"I wouldn't be too surprised if they never make it to the altar," Riot commented. "Jerrica's too smart to be married to a man like that."

"Since when did we think so highly of Jerrica Benton?" Rapture sweetly inquired with a probing eye.

"Not you too, Riot?" Minx gave a ghastly retort. "Jerrica is so plain."

"Nonsense," he casually replied, brushing off his bandmates' insinuation that there was more to his relationship with Jerrica other than professionally. "Jerrica is a great colleague. No more, no less. Now, about tonight's concert" he said changing the subject, "there will be no Holograms. Kimber Benton broke her foot."

"Probably chasing after those little brats," remarked Minx about the Starlight girls.

"I'm not sure how that came to be," Riot informed them, "nor does it matter to the Stingers, but the show must continue on. I've spoken to Jerrica Benton and Jem will perform _Believe_ with me for the final act. Since it will be difficult to have you two cover the Holograms' parts on such short notice, we'll use a recording of the music instead."

"Whatever you say, Riot," Rapture sweetly replied. The two Stingers rarely questioned their "leader." After all, he was the reason for their success.

The Stingers had formed in East Germany three years ago after Minx, who was born in Berlin, ran into Riot at a local club near the US Army base where he had been stationed for the last year. They attended high school together before he returned with his family to the States. Her band, Nirvana, frequently performed at the club, and soon Riot found himself drawn to the stage. After filling in for their guitarist who was a no-show one night, Nirvana wanted to make him a part of the band permanently. For Riot, that meant taking an unauthorized leave from the army to fulfill his real dream of music. Unable to resist the lure of being on stage, he spent the next year touring with Nirvana. Upon their return to Germany, he was arrested for going absent without official leave. He was discharged from the Army and sent back to the States, much to his father's embarrassment. Riot would spend the next year working his way back to Europe to reunite with his bandmates. After a few months of touring, however, he realized he no longer wanted a backup role in the band. He wanted his own band. Minx realized just how talented of a musician Riot was and much more intelligent than Nirvana's leader that she left the group to join him.

They soon met Rapture at a club in Berlin. Born in Pennsylvania, Rapture had come to Europe to study gemology by the encouragement of her father who ran their family's jewelry business. However, she grew bored at school and started getting into trouble. Rather than return home, Rapture traveled across Europe to find herself and her true calling. Through a bet she had made with a friend, she found herself entering a talent competition. Although she didn't win, all those years of music lessons worked to her advantage as she caught the attention of Riot and Minx. Thus, the Stingers were born.

Their first year together was difficult, as no club would give them a chance. They found themselves homeless in the dead of winter in Germany. Minx and Rapture were ready to give up on the band, but Riot refused to quit and encouraged them to keep going. After one club gave them a chance to perform after a last minute cancellation, the Stingers became a name in the local music scene. Soon, they were demanded all across Europe. It was only a matter of time before they made it big in the States. Six months after accepting an invitation to play at Le Klub Kool in Los Angeles, the Stingers were skyrocketing to the top of the music world.

Now alone in his office, Riot sank into his own thoughts as he couldn't get Minx and Rapture's comments about Jerrica Benton out of his head. _"Minx was right, she isn't as glamorous as Jem,"_ he thought to himself, _"but for someone who was thrown into her position, much like myself, she's made something of herself. That is to be admired."_

Unable to get Jerrica out of his head, he pulled a photo of Jem from his desk and marveled at her perfection. He was drawn to her the minute he saw her. She was beautiful, talented, and smart. She was the perfect woman, despite her mystery. But unlike most people, he respected her privacy and admired that about her. _"Why let your whole life out for the world to see? Why not let people prove they're worthy of you to know the real you?"_ he would often say to her. While he wanted the whole world to know she was in fact his, he rather enjoyed keeping their relationship a secret. It gave him and Jem time to know each other outside the blinding flashbulbs of the paparazzi that followed each one of them. He realized that there was more to her than she let on, but he knew it was just a matter of time before he knew her completely.

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

"I thought I'd find you girls here," Jerrica said, entering Kimber's hospital room. "How are you doing, Sis?" she asked.

"I'm alright, I guess," she sighed. Her spirits had dampened by the news of needing surgery on her foot.

Jerrica read her sister's face, "What time are you heading into surgery?"

"First thing tomorrow," she replied. "I'm sorry about the concert," she added.

"Don't be," Jerrica comforted her. "It was an accident. There will be more concerts, Kimber. You'll be good as new for our concert at the Bowl next month."

"Tonight would have been outrageous!" she cried. "Is there a replacement act yet?"

"I don't know," Jerrica replied. "But the Holograms don't need to cancel on tonight completely."

"What do you mean, Jerrica?" Shana inquired.

"What if Jem made a solo appearance on stage?" Jerrica suggested.

"And sing acapella?" Aja interjected.

"Not quite," Jerrica began, "All Jem needs to do is a sing a few lines of _Believe_ with Riot."

"But Minx and Rapture can't cover our parts," Shana chimed in. "As talented as they are, there's only two of them."

"I realize that, but we do have a recording of the music. Riot and Jem just need to add the live vocals," Jerrica explained.

"If that's what you want, Jerrica, it's fine with me," Raya agreed.

"You know I'd rather have all the Holograms on stage, but –," she began to explain.

"No need to explain, Jerrica," Aja interrupted. "Plus we wouldn't want to disappoint our fans."

"Thank you, girls, for understanding," she smiled.


	5. Chapters 13-15

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

 _Change of plans. Please come to the rooftop at Stingers Sound at noon. –R._

Jem glanced down at the note from Riot as she headed up the elevator at Stingers Sound. The 30-floor building, formerly known as Misfits Music, made the elevator ride to Jerrica's office seem like lightning speed. Despite being anxious to see him, the long ride to the top gave her a chance to do a quick wardrobe check. She was wearing a light teal, laced-trimmed camisole with red leather pants, matching red heels, and a cream, lightweight bomber jacket. Although she always looked perfect, she could understand why Riot chose to wall all the elevators with floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

 _Ding_.

"Hello? Riot?" Jem called out as she stepped out of the elevator. No answer. Jem walked out of the elevator bank and onto the redesigned rooftop, which featured a garden where Riot frequently hosted industry parties. In the long-run, the remodel was more cost effective than renting space at a private venue. In addition, it rarely rained in Los Angeles. The rooftop with its sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills and Pacific Ocean was the perfect party venue.

As she continued onto the garden, she spotted a quaint table for two nestled next to the fountain. "Happy Birthday, my lovely," said a familiar voice from behind.

"Riot!" she beamed as she turned to greet him. She could tell that he dressed for the occasion as he wore a silver button up shirt with a skinny black tie, black leather pants and matching boots. He rarely wore a tie or buttoned up a shirt all the way to the collar unless there was a special occasion. She was flattered knowing he thought of her birthday as one of those times.

"This is for you," he said giving her a single pink rose. "Now you have 25 roses, one for each year," he smiled as he took her hand and led her to their table.

A wait staff appeared with refreshments. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble," Jem commented, taking a flute from their server.

"It was no trouble at all," Riot smiled. "To many more birthdays!" he toasted her. "I have a little surprise." He picked up a small black box on the table. "Go ahead, open it," he urged.

As Jem opened the box, her eyes were met with 25 sparkling diamond baguettes that wrapped around a platinum setting. Jem was at a loss for words. "Is this for me?" she could barely mutter.

"It's an eternity ring," Riot proudly answered. "May love in your life be never ending," he smiled as he placed it on her right ring finger. It fit perfectly.

"But how did you know my ring size?" Jem wondered.

"I guessed," he smiled as he watched her admire her birthday present.

"Oh, Riot! This is beautiful," she marveled as she leaned in to kiss him thank you.

"Not as beautiful as you," he corrected her. "Please, sit," he gestured as a pizza was placed in front of them. "I wasn't sure what you'd feel like having, so I went for the safe choice instead," he smiled. The two had shared many dinners of pizza and wine.

"This is perfect," she laughed. The food was perfect. The ambiance was perfect. Riot was perfect. So perfect that he knew when to be imperfect.

"I have one more thing to ask you," he said. Jem was all ears. "I've made plans to head to London on business the day after tomorrow for a few days. I was hoping you would join me."

Jem knew that Riot would be heading to London soon and she had an inkling he would ask her to come along, but she didn't expect he would makes plans so quickly. "Well, I-I don't know."

"Jerrica said you would have some free time soon," he further added to entice her.

The thought of spending time in Europe with him was enticing all on its own. She just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Most importantly, she didn't want to take off to another country with him until she got the engagement issue resolved first. "Riot, this is so unexpected," Jem began. "I would love to go to London with you, but I first need to make sure they'll be alright without me at the foundation," she explained.

"Of course," he replied. "I have a private jet scheduled to leave LAX at 9 am. Just tell me if I should send a car to your house that morning," he smiled.

"I will," she smiled back.

"I hate to continue talking business, Jem," he said changing the subject from London, "but has Jerrica mentioned anything to you about his evening's concert?"

"About me performing without the Holograms?" she clarified.

"Yes," he replied. "I'm sorry if I put the two of you in an uncomfortable situation with the rest of the girls."

"They're all onboard with the idea," she revealed. "They agreed the Holograms need someone there tonight and redoing the song to cover Kimber's part at the last minute wasn't such a good idea."

"Perfect." Riot answered. "I had a feeling it would be fine, so I went ahead and told Minx and Rapture."

"And they were fine with it?" Jem asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

"Of course they were," he reassured her.

They spent the remainder of lunch enjoying the perfectly imperfect pizza and chatting about everything from the Holograms to Riot's parents, to the Christmas album, and even the logistics for their performance together. Jem was truly amazed how comfortable she felt in his presence. So comfortable that her real personality radiated through that rock star persona. She was having such a wonderful time with him, like always, that she almost forgot she needed to be somewhere.

"I'm sorry, Riot, I hate to end such a wonderful lunch with you, but I have somethings to take care of before I head over to the Hollywood Bowl for our last rehearsal," she explained.

"No need to apologize," he reassured her. "I need to run off myself. I have a meeting with Jerrica at the Hollywood Bowl to go over the final stage setup." Both Jerrica and Riot were in charge of this event as it was the first of a concert series featuring artists from both Starlight and Stingers Sound. "May I drop you off somewhere?" he offered.

"No, I'm just heading back to Starlight Music, but thank you," she replied. "And an even bigger thank you for this," she smiled as she leaned in for a kiss.

He gently lifted her chin and reciprocated the kiss. "The pleasure is all mine," he whispered as their lips parted.

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

After leaving Stingers Sound, Jem made a mad dash to Starlight Music, changed back into Jerrica, and hopped in her roadster to head for the Hollywood Bowl. As she turned her key into the ignition, she caught a glimpse of the beautiful ring Riot had just given her, as Jem. _"It's a shame I have to take this off,"_ she thought, knowing full well Jerrica couldn't show up wearing a ring he had given to Jem. She then realized that she needed to find another ring. The thought of being engaged to Rio while she was secretly in love with Riot sent her stomach into knots.

"Calm down, Jerrica," she said to herself. "Pull yourself together!"

Once she managed to calm down, she made her way to the Hollywood Bowl. At just after one o'clock, the traffic from Starlight Music was starting to pick up. Luckily, she just barely beat Riot there.

"Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long?" he greeted her as he stepped out of his white Jaguar wearing a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark jeans, black leather boots, and aviators. He had dressed down since his lunch with Jem.

"Not long at all," she replied, trying hard not to stare. If there was one person who could make casual look sexy, it was definitely Riot.

"Great," he responded. "Let's tend to business, shall we?" he said as he gestured for her to lead the way.

They spent the next hour going through the stage, sound, and light set up with the head engineer at Stingers Sound, Bryan. It had been Rio's job at Starlight Music, but with him being away, Jerrica turned to Riot for help. He was more than happy to lend his engineer's services.

Once the general setup was complete, the two CEOS huddled together at the end of the stage to finalize the concert lineup with all the last minute changes they had to make. They had each act do one more song, and made the Stingers the final act with Jem joining him on stage for the final number.

"I think that's perfect!" Jerrica exclaimed.

"We make a great team." Riot remarked.

"Yes, we do," Jerrica agreed as she sighed under her breath.

"What's wrong, Jerrica?" he bluntly asked.

"Oh, nothing at all," she said trying to look more cheerful than how she really felt.

"For someone who should be on cloud nine, your eyes look as if you've been to a funeral," he commented. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked once more.

Jerrica sighed. "I'm just a little overwhelmed by all this engagement stuff," she confessed.

"You're happy about getting married, are you not?" a surprised Riot asked.

"Um, I –," a confused Jerrica stuttered. She really wanted to tell Riot the truth about everything, but she just wasn't sure where to begin and wasn't sure how much _she_ should be sharing with _him_ of all people. "Let's just say Harriet Horn made a sticky situation even stickier," she finally said.

"Ah, yes. The lovely Harriet Horn," Riot sarcastically commented, bringing both to laughter. Before they could continue with their conversation, they were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"I was going to see if I could take my fiancé out on her birthday, but I can see you're already busy with someone else," Rio sternly said, walking up to them from behind.

"It's your birthday?" a surprised Riot turned to Jerrica, pretending Rio wasn't there.

"What's going on, Jerrica?" Rio demanded to know. "First Jem and now you?" he yelled.

"Rio, please, lower your voice down," she pleaded with him.

"Why? Because you don't want anyone to know that he's taking you for a fool too?" he angrily asked. "Where's your ring?" he demanded.

"Who do you think you are to speak to her like that?" Riot confronted him.

"And who are _you_? Her knight in shining armor?" he sarcastically replied.

"I'm her friend." Riot calmly retorted.

"Does Jem know how _friendly_ you are to other people's fiancés?" and enraged Rio replied.

"What is that supposed to mean, Paccheco?" Riot asked, still managing to control his budding anger.

"You've never seemed like the monogamous type, that's all," Rio insulted him.

"I would never do anything to hurt Jem," Riot declared. "But that's a funny thing to say coming from you of all people," he insulted back.

"Riot, please," she turned to him, embarrassed by Rio's demeanor. "I can handle this," she reassured him.

"If you need me, I'll be right over here," a seething Riot said to her as he walked away, giving Rio one last glare. It was like BaNee's party all over again. Only this time, she was Jerrica and not Jem.

Once Riot stepped away, a frustrated and embarrassed Jerrica turned to face Rio, "You know I took it off for safe keeping," she lied. "It was loose, and –."

"You took it off for safekeeping or you took it off because you didn't want to wear it?" he interrupted as his voice began to quiver in rage. "What are you doing with him?" Rio demanded to know once more.

"We're working, Rio!" she blasted back. "We have been organizing this concert for the last month. He is my colleague!"

"Yeah, well it looks like you're having a little too much fun at work," he snapped. Jerrica was silent. She _was_ having fun at work. "You know, Jerrica, ever since the Stingers showed up, things haven't been the same between us. Why is that?" he snidely asked.

"Since the Stingers?" She gave him a baffled look. "Rio, things haven't been the same between us for the last three years," she pointed out. "What do _you_ make of that?"

He fell silent realizing what she meant by that. "After tonight, I don't want you working with him anymore," Rio replied, ignoring her words.

"You have no right to tell me who I can and can't work with!" she yelled. Rio's jealousy issues had been a thorn in their relationship for a while, even before Riot came along.

"Fine!" he yelled. "Have it your way!" he said as he turned to leave.

"Happy birthday to me," she said, clearly shaken from her encounter with him.

As soon as Rio disappeared from sight, Riot walked back to Jerrica and handed her a bottle of water. "Here, drink this," he said seeing how the terse exchange had made her visibly upset.

Without saying a word, Jerrica grabbed the bottle and drank every ounce until it was empty. She let out a huge sigh. "Thank you," she said to him. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I saw nothing," he smiled with a friendly wink. "But if you ever need a friend to talk to," he stopped just short of telling her she could turn to him as friend. Jerrica read between the lines.

She had slowly formed a friendship with the Stinger over the last few weeks as the Stingers and Holograms began to perform at the same events and ultimately collaborating on a song. This opened the door for talk on future collaborations, such as the summer concert series and Christmas album. Stingers Sound needed the experience of an established and successful label, while Starlight needed a fresh approach and new perspective. It was a partnership that greatly benefited both. And while Riot started spending more time with Jem on a romantic level, he also began spending more time with Jerrica on a professional level. This sparked a completely new friendship that neither of them expected.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Again, I'm sorry he dragged you into that."

"It was my fault," Riot replied. "Perhaps I shouldn't have been too quick to jump to your defense. He is your fiancé after all."

"No, I appreciate you looking out for me," she confessed, giving him a friendly smile. She wanted to tell him that Rio wasn't her fiancé, at least not to her, but she had no idea how to tell him. "Jem's a pretty lucky girl to have you," she couldn't help but add. "I can see how well you treat her."

"She's very special to me," a flattered Riot smiled. "I don't mean to get involved in something that's not my business," he began, "but are you sure you want to be married to _him_? You deserve to be treated with respect, Jerrica."

She was stunned to hear Riot being so honest with her. "Like I said, Harriet Horn made a sticky situation even stickier," she replied.

"As a friend, please don't let that old hag make you do something you'll regret," he advised.

"I promise I won't," she reassured him with a smile. "Now, let's finish up so we can start the final walkthrough."

Riot agreed. "After that, Jem and I need to rehearse the song without our bands," he informed her. "Will you be staying until then?"

"Uh, no," she quickly replied as she checked her watch. "I have to head to the hospital to check on my sister. I trust you and Jem will do just fine," she awkwardly smiled.

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Rio couldn't leave the Bowl fast enough. He was still seething over seeing his fiancé with the man who took Jem away from him. This was not how he envisioned the first 24 hours of their engagement to be. Completely overwrought with the sight of Jerrica and Riot working closely together, something he did not expect to happen, he practically bulldozed Minx and Rapture on the way to his van.

"Hey, watch it!" Rapture yelled to him.

"Well nice to see you too, Rio," Minx mocked him.

"What do you want?" he tersely replied.

"I can see things haven't changed since the last time I saw you," Minx remarked, referring to seeing him storm out of Starlight Mansion after BaNee's party. "Are you coming to the concert tonight?" she asked in her typical flirty tone with him.

"No!" he bluntly replied.

"That's too bad," she teased. "Have you seen Jerrica and Riot?" she asked knowing how agitated that would make him.

"I don't have time for this, Minx!" he exclaimed, referring to her little games.

"Riot was right," she muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, growing even more annoyed.

"Oh, nothing!" Rapture interjected, prying her bandmate away from him before his temper escalated. Rio had a terrible temper and everyone who ever saw that side of him avoided it like the plague. She knew Riot wouldn't be too pleased if Rio caused a scene thanks to the two of them.

As he watched the two Stingers walk away, Rio murmured to himself, "What is _he_ up to?"


	6. Chapters 16-18

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"How's my favorite patient?" Jem asked as she peeked her head into Kimber's hospital room.

"Better," Kimber smiled. "Sean flew in as soon as he heard about what happened. He went home to shower and change, but he should be back soon." Sean Harrison was Kimber's gorgeous dark-haired, blue-eyed, British boyfriend, who shared her passion for songwriting. They met a couple of years ago, but had gotten a little more serious in the last year.

"Oh, are these from him?" Jem asked with a smile as she admired a large bouquet of flowers on the table.

"Read the card," she smiled.

 _Wishing you a swift recovery. –The Stingers_

"Well that was very nice of them," Jem commented.

"I don't think it was Minx or Rapture's idea," the younger Benton giggled. Before Jem could respond, Kimber noticed her shiny new gift. "What is _that_?"

Jem blushed. "A birthday gift," she casually replied.

"Your birthday? I'm so sorry, Sis. I had forgotten it was today," Kimber apologized.

"No worries, Kimber," Jem replied. "You have a lot going on right now. We can celebrate later after you're all better."

"Thanks," she answered. "Now tell me about the gift! Is it _just_ a gift?" she asked, hinting at its possible significance.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kimber! It's just a gift," Jem replied, bursting her sister's bubble.

"Oh, that's more than just a gift. That's a statement!" her sister exclaimed. "I can't wait to see what Christmas brings," she teased.

"You're getting ahead of yourself again." Jem warned. "Not only might Rio hate me come December, but I wouldn't be surprised if Riot hated me too when I tell him."

"That you're really Jerrica?" Kimber asked.

"Yes," Jem sadly replied. "I can't keep this charade going," she confessed. "I'm hurting the two biggest loves of my life," she cried.

"Oh, Sis, don't cry," Kimber comforted her as she reached for her hand.

"I thought about Dad the other day," she added. "I was just thinking how happy he would be, knowing Rio proposed."

"Are you having second thoughts about ending the engagement?" Kimber asked.

"No, but I can't help feeling he must be disappointed in me right now," she admitted.

"I know Daddy loved Rio like a son," Kimber began, "but he also thought Eric Raymond could run Starlight."

Her sister's words resonated with her. She was right. Their father always looked for the best in others, but that didn't mean his opinion of them reflected who they really were. Unlike Eric, Rio wasn't a bad person. He was a great person. But perhaps he wasn't the right person for Emmett's little girl like he thought he was. "Thank you, Kimber," Jem replied. "That makes it easier where Rio's concerned, but –."

"But you're not sure about, Riot?" Kimber interrupted.

Jem nodded. "I know how he feels about me, but how is he going to feel about me when he finds out I'm also Jerrica?"

"Well if you ask me, I think he's trying to win points with Jerrica," Kimber declared as she eyed the large bouquet of flowers Riot had sent her.

"Jerrica's relationship with Riot is strictly professional," Jem insisted. "Plus, maybe he was trying to win points with the Holograms?"

"If you say so." Kimber didn't buy it.

"Are you saying you think Riot has feelings for Jerrica now?" Jem asked.

Before Kimber could answer, there was knock at the door. "Come in," the red head announced, expecting it to be Sean.

"Hi, Kimber. I hate to –." It was Rio. "Uh, I didn't realize you had company," he stuttered, unable to take his eyes away from Jem. This was the first time he had seen her since BaNee's going away party. While he was angry at her for choosing Riot over him, there was no denying that Rio still had feelings for the pink-haired rock star. To him, she was more beautiful than ever.

"Hi, Rio," Jem hesitantly greeted him, unsure if he would even acknowledge her presence.

"Hi, Jem," he coyly smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she awkwardly smiled.

"What was is it you wanted to ask me?" Kimber interjected, sensing her sister's discomfort with Rio's presence.

"I, uh –," he stuttered again, trying to regain his composure. "It's about Jerrica, but it can wait," he managed to say.

"I was just about to leave," Jem interrupted.

"No, no. That's quite alright, Jem," Rio replied. "It's not that important." However, it was important. Rio was there to talk to Kimber about her sister and her budding friendship with Riot.

"No, Rio. Don't leave on the account of me," Jem replied. "I have to get ready for tonight's concert anyway."

"I thought Jerrica canceled the Holograms' performance," he wondered.

Jem hesitated. "She did, but I'm still performing tonight," she finally told him.

"You're singing without a band?" Rio was puzzled.

"We're going to sing with a recording of the music," she quickly replied.

"We? You're performing with someone else?" he asked even more puzzled. Jem couldn't find the words to tell him that she was performing with Riot, but her silence told him everything. "I see," Rio mumbled turning away. "I'll come by again, Kimber," he angrily said as he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

"See what I mean, Kimber?" Jem sighed. "That man's impossible!"

"Well, at least you don't have to marry him," Kimber laughed.

Jem cracked a smile. "You're right about that."

"And I have a feeling I'm right about Riot," Kimber added. "I think he likes _you_ as Jerrica more than you realize."

Jem looked thoughtful. "Well, if I don't get out of here and over to the concert, I don't think he's going to be too fond of me, or Jerrica," she joked, giving Kimber a hug good-bye.

"Good luck tonight!" Kimber wished her as Jem headed for the door.

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

"Where's Jerrica?" Riot anxiously asked one of Starlight's crewmembers as he paced backstage waiting for her to appear.

"I don't know, Sir," the crewmember responded. It was five minutes to eight o'clock, the concert's scheduled start time, with LYNX, an all boy band from Boston, as the opening act. After their 15-minute performance, Riot and Jerrica planned to make a quick appearance on stage to welcome the crowd.

"Riot!" a familiar voice called out to him. It was Jerrica. "Sorry, I'm late. Traffic was terrible on the way from the hospital."

"That's alright," he smiled. "I'm just relieved to see you here," he said placing his hands on her shoulders. Jerrica blushed. "Where's Jem?" he asked looking around for the pop star. "I thought she would be with you?"

"She should be here soon," Jerrica quickly replied. "I told her she could stay at the hospital a little longer with Kimber since she's not scheduled to be here until the end."

"I see," he replied solemnly.

"I thought it would be okay with you," she quickly replied.

"No, no, that's fine," he smiled.

"Are you okay?" she asked him sensing his nerves.

"I'm alright now," he calmly replied, slowly regaining his air of confidence. This was Riot's first major event as head of Stingers Sound. He wanted to make sure it was as perfect as he was, and having an experienced business partner in Jerrica was comforting to him. "Shall we?" he asked as he gestured for her to lead the way to their seats just off to the right of the stage.

Jerrica returned his smile. "We shall," she replied.

As they settled into their seats right as LYNX took the stage, Jerrica couldn't shake Kimber's words from her head. It was obvious their working relationship had developed into a sort of friendship. It wasn't anything like his friendship with Minx or Rapture, or even Rio's friendship with the rest of the Holograms. Nevertheless, Jerrica did find him to be more attentive and personal towards her as opposed to being aloof when they first met. She thought it had something to do with Jem's relationship with him. Never in a million years did she expect him to fall for her, plain ol' Jerrica Benton. But at that moment, as her eyes gazed upon him in all his perfection, she couldn't help but wonder if there was any truth to what Kimber had said.

Trying hard to forget her conversation with the younger Benton, Jerrica switched her focus to the group on stage. After all, they were the hottest new act to come out of Starlight since the Holograms – five fresh faced teenage boys from Boston, ranging in age from 16-19. Their quickly growing fan-base ranged from 8-year-old girls to their 30-something old moms, a huge difference from the Stingers or Holograms' fan-bases. But that didn't matter as long as LYNX kept records flying off the shelves. Jerrica had finally found the band she had been searching for, a search that brought the Stingers, and _him_ , into her life.

Just as LYNX finished their first song, a group of rowdy teenage girls charged from behind her and Riot to reach the stage. Security began making their way as soon as they spotted the swarm of boy-crazed fans, but it was too late. They ran over chairs, knocked down rope barriers, pushed aside anyone in their way, including Jerrica and Riot. Shocked by the sudden melee, Riot wrapped his arms around Jerrica and pulled her next to a column, using his body to shield her from harm. What felt like an eternity, only lasted seconds, but the damage was done. Chaos had unfolded near the stage and LYNX was instructed to stop the music. Fans were piled on top of each other, some had scratches and bruises, teenagers were crying. This was clearly not how they envisioned the first ten minutes of their hugely anticipated event.

"Are you alright?" Riot asked, breathing heavily as Jerrica looked up to see his lips in close proximity to hers, something she had been used to as her alter ego, but never as herself.

"I-I-I think I'm okay," Jerrica stuttered, slowly pulling herself away from his grasp. Her heart was screaming to kiss him.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Riot explained as he gazed down at her to make sure she was fine.

"No, I appreciate you looking out for me," she replied. "This was clearly a surprise," she said turning to survey the situation, breaking their eye contact. As Jerrica was about to head to the stage to speak to the audience, the LYNX front man took it upon himself to calm the crowd down. Jerrica and Riot made their way backstage to check-in with their security team to see how the breach happened.

"What's the meaning of all this?" Riot snapped with the venue's head of security.

"I'm sorry, Sir," the head of security replied. "There was a group of people who snuck into the venue and started the stampede."

"How many?" he demanded to know.

"As many as twenty," the official replied. "They came in through this side door," he continued to explain, showing them security footage.

"Why isn't that door guarded?" Riot asked.

"There was a guard there, but he's gone," he answered.

"Gone?" Riot repeated in disbelief.

"Where did he go?" Jerrica chimed in.

"We're still trying to find that out, Ma'am," he replied. "My team's looking for him."

"You better find him!" Riot threatened. "I want answers!" he roared as he walked away. Jerrica followed.

"Riot, calm down!" Jerrica pleaded. "The most important thing is no one was badly injured," she said, trying to sound positive.

"I just find it troubling that one person can't do his job and _this_ happens!" he answered, clearly agitated. "I'm sorry," he managed to calm down. "We should get you checked out," he said to Jerrica.

"No, I'm okay, I insist," Jerrica replied. "Let's just get this show back on track."

"You're absolutely right," he smiled at her, regaining his composure. "As long as you're okay –."

"I'm okay!" she reassured him again. "You better find Minx and Rapture and get ready for your performance. I'll handle it from here."

"Okay," he sighed. "But please, don't hesitate if you need me," he reminded her as he kissed her hand. Jerrica blushed.

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the voice over the loudspeaker announced as the Hollywood Bowl went pitch black, "Get on your feet for the Stingers!"

The crowd erupted with cheer. Lights began to flash. A series of booms went off as fireworks lit up the LA sky. The speakers flooded with Rapture's guitar.

" _Sting, Stinger, Stingers,"_ Minx and Rapture sang. Just before they went into the first verse of their self-titled song, the music quickly changed to _Destiny_ , followed by more fireworks. After Rapture finished the first verse of the song, the spotlight switched to the center of the stage, revealing Riot as he sang his part. After a few more verses from each of the Stingers, the music quickly died down. They transitioned into _Under My Spell_ and Riot took center stage.

 _Under my spell you like it so well_

 _No problems, no hurry._

 _Under my spell you like to so well_

 _No reason to worry._

Jerrica watched from backstage. It reminded her of the first time she ever heard the song and completely fell under his spell. The Holograms had been watching the Stingers perform when Riot spotted Jem and pulled her onto the stage, much to the crowds' surprise. Speculation quickly followed whether the lead singers were in fact an item, or if this was a publicity stunt, but both groups chose to ignore the chatter.

As Riot finished the last verses of the song, his eyes caught Jerrica's eyes. Much like the first time, she was enchanted by him. Only this time, he gave Jerrica a smile instead of pulling her onstage. She blushed, but gave him a quick smile back before disappearing backstage.

The Stingers quickly finished their set with a riveting rendition of _All In The Style_ which brought the crowd to deafening cheers. As the curtain closed on the Stingers, chants of "Riot, Riot!" erupted amongst the crowd. The Hollywood Bowl went pitch black once more. As the chanting died down, fireworks lit up the sky and music filled the air. The crowd erupted once they realized what the familiar tune was and Riot appeared on stage.

 _Believe in me_

 _You can see with your own eyes_

 _All the many wonders I can do_

 _Believe in me_

 _I'm a wizard in disguise_

 _Why would I want to lie to you_

As Riot finished the first verse, the crowd went wild when a second spotlight appeared next to him revealing Jem.

 _Don't believe everything you see_

 _There's more than meets the eye_

 _Don't believe in the fantasy_

 _Truth is underneath the lie_

Riot and Jem were wonderful and captivating on stage together. The crowd loved it. They loved it. As the song ended, the crowd jumped to its feet. This was the first time the singers had performed on stage together since the private benefit concert and their fans absolutely loved it. Riot moved over to grab Jem's hand as the two stars took a bow, both smiling at one another.

"Thank you for joining us tonight!" Jem yelled to the crowd, signaling the end of the concert. She and Riot took one more bow before heading backstage.

"You were fantastic!" Riot complimented her, pulling her in for a kiss as soon as they were out of sight from the crowd.

"You weren't so bad yourself, Mr. Llewelyn," Jem complimented back.

"The crowd loved us together," he mused. "The entire show was incredible! But you! You made it magnificent!" he exclaimed, kissing her once more. "We truly are the perfect match," he smiled.

"Excuse me, Sir," one of security guards interrupted. "There's something that needs your attention and we haven't been able to locate Miss Benton," he explained.

"She was just here," a dumbfounded Riot replied.

"Maybe she had to run to check on something else?" Jem chimed in.

"Perhaps," he mused.

"Go ahead," Jem nudged him, "I'll wait." Riot smiled as the security guard led him away. Jem walked back to her dressing room to freshen up while she waited for him to take care of whatever it was that needed his attention. For a moment, she contemplated changing back into Jerrica to help him diffuse the situation, but she was content being Jem for now. She couldn't handle anymore awkward moments with Riot for the rest of evening. The budding chemistry between Jerrica and Riot was more palpable to her after that night. She wasn't sure if this could benefit her relationship with Riot, or send it down the same path as her relationship with Rio. Clearly, she couldn't let the latter happen again.

Once she returned to her dressing room, she was startled by a surprise visitor waiting at her door, "Hi, Jem," Rio greeted her in an unsure tone.

"Rio, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Can we talk?" he began.

"What is there to talk about?" She was hesitant to find out.

"Do you still have feelings for me?" he bluntly asked.

"Huh?" she managed to reply, completely taken aback by his question.

"Before I make this commitment to Jerrica, I want to make sure there's nothing between us," he explained. "So tell me now if I should end this engagement with her?"

Of course Jem wanted him to end this engagement, but not for the benefit of her and Rio. She wanted him to end this engagement so she could move on with Riot once in for all. "Uh, Rio," she began. "I don't think this is the time or place to discuss this."

"It's a simple yes or no, Jem," he responded. "Do we have a chance together? Should I end this engagement with Jerrica?" he asked once more.

" _Tell him, Jem,"_ she thought to herself. After a long pause, "Yes, yes, you need to end it with her," but as Jem was about to continue and explain her reasoning, Rio glanced away. Jem turned to look at what caught Rio's eye. It was Riot. _How do I explain this now?_ Jem thought to herself.

Her heart began to beat faster and she couldn't catch her breath fast enough. The look on Riot's eyes said it all. Anger. Hurt. Confusion. There was no explaining anything without revealing her secret to both of them. She was prepared to tell Rio the truth and end this charade of an engagement once and for all. But revealing her secret to Riot was something she wasn't ready for. Searching for the words to say to him, Jem's mind went blank.

Riot was waiting for her to say something, something that could explain why she would want Rio to end his engagement with Jerrica. But Jem said nothing. Months ago he would have fought to keep Rio away from her. But thinking he had won her heart only to overhear her say something otherwise made him feel defeated. As his love blankly stared at him, Riot sighed and walked away.

"Riot!" Jem manage to finally say. "Please don't go!" she turned to go after him, but was pulled back by Rio.

"Let him go, Jem!" Rio pleaded.

"No!" Jem replied as she pulled her arm away and pushed him aside. "I love him!" she finally admitted to him.

"But I thought you wanted me to break up with Jerrica?" he asked, confused.

This wasn't the time to reveal her secret now, but she needed to tell him about Jerrica's true feelings. "If you haven't noticed, Jerrica wasn't ready for this engagement," she blurted out.

"Then why did she say yes?" he asked, as a sudden look of shock appeared across his face.

"She didn't say yes, Rio! Harriet Horn was there. She didn't want to embarrass you knowing everything would be on her show the next day. So she didn't hesitate when you put the ring on her," Jem explained.

"So that's why you told me to break it off with her? Not because of us, but because of her?" he reiterated.

"Yes!" Jem proclaimed.

"Well, while you think you're helping out your friend, and think you have a future with Mr. Macho, you should know that Jerrica and Riot are sneaking around behind both of our backs!" he announced.

"What?" Jem asked, even more shocked at his revelation.

"I saw them acting friendly," he answered.

"They're friends, Rio," Jem bluntly replied.

"A little too friendly if you ask me," he responded. "I wouldn't trust him, if I were you."

" _Is he serious?"_ Jem asked herself. After all those times he declared his love to Jerrica, but cozied up with Jem whenever he got the chance, he had the audacity to tell her not to trust Riot. It was true that Riot was friendly with Jerrica, but he never crossed the line or even attempted to. He had always been a gentleman when it came to both women and made it known to Jerrica very early on how much he adored Jem.

"I can't believe you, Rio Paccheco!" Jem blurted. "After everything _you've_ done and you have the gall to tell me not to trust _him_? If you had any doubts as to my feelings before, well you ought to know what my true feelings are now. Goodbye!" she yelled as she stormed off to find Riot.


	7. Chapters 19-22

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

The clock read 12:45. Jerrica quietly made her way into a dark mansion, hoping none of the girls would be waiting up for her at this hour. She tiptoed across the foyer and was about to make her way up the stairs when a light turned on in the living room.

"Jerrica? Is that you?" said a voice followed up a long yawn. It was Aja, followed by Shana and Raya.

"You guys didn't have to wait up," she replied to the sleepy looking trio. "Sorry I woke you."

"We started to wait up and then we started dozing off about an hour ago," Shana replied. "How did the rest of the concert go?"

"Yeah, we saw what happened on the news when LYNX performed," Raya chimed in.

"Are you okay?" Aja asked. "We saw footage of you and Riot caught right in the middle of everything."

"I'm fine," Jerrica assured them. "He pulled me away to safety before anything worse than this bump on me knee could happen."

"What a hero," Aja sarcastically replied.

"No really, Aja," she replied sternly. "He really made sure I was safe."

"Well, we're glad Riot was there to help you," Raya said, trying to keep Aja and Jerrica's emotions in check. While Aja and Jerrica had been best friends since Aja came to live with the Bentons and always supported each other, there was one thing she was clearly against – Jem's relationship with Riot. Although Jem had yet to come clean with the rest of the Holograms about her and Riot, everyone suspected something was going on between them, especially after Rio left town.

"Thanks, Raya," Jerrica said to her friend. "The rest of the concert was amazing."

"If the concert was great, then why do you look so down?" Shana wondered.

"It's been a long night of putting fires out," she answered. "I appreciate you guys waiting up for me, but I have to head to the office early in the morning and deal with the some stuff before going to see Kimber."

"Are you going to be okay?" a concerned Aja asked.

"I'll be fine," Jerrica managed to smile. "Goodnight, ladies," she said as she made her way up to her room.

"We should all get some sleep too," Shana added. "Kimber will want us all there tomorrow."

"At least Sean's there," Aja added as all four women headed to their respective rooms"

"Good night, everyone," Jerrica heard Raya say as they all shut their doors.

Alone in her room, Jerrica perched herself on her bed and sighed as tears began to well in her eyes. Images of Riot's face lingered in her head. All she could do was relive the moment he walked in on Jem telling Rio to break the engagement. She should have said something to him. She shouldn't have just let him walk away. She didn't want him to walk away. She just didn't know what to say. The truth meant telling both him and Rio at that moment about her identity. She had an idea of what Rio's reaction would have been, but she wasn't prepared to handle any negative reaction Riot may have had. She wasn't prepared for Jem to lose him that night, but considering he was nowhere to be found, it was becoming more and more imminent that Jem had in fact lost him. She had lost the love of her life.

Unsure of what to do, Jerrica buried her head in her pillow hoping to cry herself to sleep. For the first time in a long time, she was at a loss over what to do. She wanted to reach out to him, to tell him everything at that moment. After all, his reaction couldn't be any worse than it was at after the concert. But she had no clue where he was. Jem had gone to his apartment, even checked out the after party at Le Klub Kool, but only Rapture and Minx were there. She had a feeling he had returned to Stingers Sound, but had no way to access the building after hours. All she could do was wait for morning to arrive and, hopefully, find him then.

 _Ring, ring_

Just as Jerrica began to drift off to sleep, the phone rang. "Hello," she answered in a groggy voice.

"Jerrica, it's Kimber," the voice on the other end softly replied.

"Kimber!" Jerrica suddenly perked up after hearing her sister's voice. "You should be sleeping."

"I can't sleep, Sis," Kimber admitted. "I've been sleeping all day!"

"I've been drinking coffee all day," Jerrica responded with a chuckle.

"How are you doing? We saw the news about the concert," her sister glumly replied.

"Tired. But we got the situation under control and the rest of the concert went well," Jerrica said trying to sound upbeat.

"Yeah, I heard that Jem and Riot were quite the act on stage together," Kimber teased.

"Yeah," Jerrica choked as she tried fighting back the tears, but it was useless. She sighed.

"Are you crying, Sis?" a worried Kimber asked.

After a long pause, "I think I've lost him, Kimber," she finally spoke.

"Lost who?" her sister wondered. "Riot or Rio?"

"I think both," she sighed. "Rio confronted Jem after the concert. He wanted to know if there was any future for them. If so, he wanted Jem to tell him to break off the engagement. So Jem told him to, but before she could explain why, Riot saw the entire exchange."

"Well, did _she_ explain to him _why_?" Kimber quickly asked.

"No," Jerrica bluntly replied as she wiped away more tears.

"Well, why didn't you? I mean Jem?" Kimber demanded to know.

"I don't know," the older Benton mused. "I was afraid that I would have to tell them both the truth about Jem, that Jem is really me, and –."

"You were afraid that Riot would be mad?" Kimber interrupted.

"Yes, and I was afraid he wouldn't want the real person behind Jem," Jerrica confessed.

"Don't you ever listen to me?" Kimber chided her sister. "I'm telling you, Sis. Riot _has_ feelings for the _real_ Jem. He just hasn't realized it yet because you haven't told him who _you_ really are!"

"Well I would tell him, Kimber, but I can't even find him," Jerrica began to cry. "I've never seen him so angry and sad at the same time. And who knows if he'll ever want to speak to me again."

"I have news for you, Big Sister," she bluntly relied, "Riot may not want to talk to Jem right now, but I know someone else he _would_ talk to. I think you sometimes forget that you _are_ two people," she teased.

"Thank you for finding the silver lining, Little Sister," Jerrica smiled. "I guess Jerrica will have to have a meeting with Mr. Llewelyn first thing in the morning. That is, after I pay my wonderful little sister a visit in the hospital."

"Don't worry about me! I'm in good hands," Kimber reassured her, referring to Sean being at the hospital.

"Okay then," Jerrica agreed. "I'll drop by after then. You should be back from your operation, right?"

"Yep!" Kimber replied. "My foot will be good as new at around 10 am."

"Alright then, I'll see you and your new foot at 10," she smiled. "Thank you, Kimber."

"What are little sister's for?

 **CHAPTER TWENTY**

At the crack of dawn, Jerrica hurried her way to Starlight Music. Not only did she need to deal with personal issues, but there was also the possibility of having to deal with any negative backlash as a result from the security breach at last night's concert. She cringed at the thought of having to deal with the media so early in the morning, but at least it gave her a reason to meet with Riot first thing. However, as soon as she arrived at her office, she was greeted with something she least expected to see. On her desk sat a cream-colored envelope with her name. She quickly recognized the stationery and handwriting.

 _Jerrica,_

 _By the time you read this, I'll be on a plane to Rome. It was a last minute change of plans. I'll return in the next few days and let you know once I meet with the band. I'm sorry to leave you in such a chaotic time after the concert. Perhaps I'll need to explain myself once I return. In the meantime, I've instructed my public relations team and attorneys to contact you in the morning to take care of any negative publicity after tonight's incident. I trust their advice, but I trust your opinion more. The final word is yours. –R._

As she finished reading the last words, tears began to well in her eyes again. Riot was hurt. So hurt, he was running from facing the truth, something very uncharacteristic of him. However, it was the wrong truth, so at least there was hope for her to save whatever future they could have together.

Jerrica quickly wiped the tears away and frantically searched through her Rolodex. Once she found the number she was looking for, she picked up the receiver. "Hello, what time is the next flight to Rome?"

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

"How's my favorite patient doing?" Jerrica peered into Kimber's hospital room.

"Sis!" a tired Kimber greeted her. "You just missed Sean again. He headed out to grab some lunch with the girls."

"Oh! Sorry I missed everyone. It's been a crazy morning," Jerrica sighed. "How's the new foot?" she teased.

"The doctor said everything went well. I start physical therapy later in the week, but I should be back to normal in no time," she optimistically replied.

"That's wonderful!" a relieved Jerrica exclaimed. "Sorry, I couldn't get here sooner."

"No worries," Kimber reassured her. "Sean's been wonderful."

"I'm glad you've got a wonderful boyfriend to make you forget about how awful your sister's been," she jokingly replied.

Kimber paused thoughtfully before replying. "He's not my boyfriend anymore, Jerrica."

"What?" a baffled Jerrica asked.

Kimber held out her right hand to show off a sparkling two-carat round Sapphire, wrapped in smaller diamonds. "Isn't it gorgeous?" she marveled. "It's like Princess Diana's, except hers is oval and much bigger."

"Oh my! Kimber! You're engaged! Again!" a surprised Jerrica replied.

"This time, it's for real," her sister reassured her. "Sean asked me last night."

"Congratulations!" an emotional Jerrica said, leaning over to hug her sister. "I'm very happy for you! Why didn't you tell me last night?"

"Well," Kimber hesitated. "That's why I called, but I couldn't bear to tell you after I heard about Riot. How did it go with him today by the way? Did you get a chance to talk to him?"

"No," Jerrica glumly replied. "He sent me a note to tell me he's off to Rome on business."

"What?" a perplexed Kimber asked. "That's not like him to leave town when Stingers Sound is under such turmoil," she commented, referring to the melee at last night's concert.

"I know," Jerrica mused. "He left his PR team and attorneys at my disposal."

"Well, at least you know he trusts you to handle things on behalf of his company," Kimber replied. "That's saying a lot!"

"I'm headed to Rome tonight," Jerrica told her. "I'm on the last plane out of LAX."

"You _are_?" Kimber asked even more surprised.

"I, I mean, Jem was going to go anyway. I might as well go and make sure he's alright," she replied.

"What about Rio? Have you talked to _him_ yet?" she hesitated to ask.

"No," Jerrica bluntly replied. "I don't know if I have it in me to face him right now."

"But what if he asks where you went off to?" Kimber questioned her.

"I want you to give him this," Jerrica replied, handing her sister a small box. "Please make sure he gets it. The ring is inside."

"I will," Kimber assured her. "But are you sure this is how you want to end things with him?"

"I've been thinking about it, and after what he did last night, I can't face him right now," she sadly replied. "I know I'll have to face him sometime down the road, but for now, this is it," she explained, looking at the box.

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

"Excuse me, Sir, may I get you another drink?"

Riot snapped back into reality. "No, thank you," he politely replied to the flight attendant as he downed the last sip in his glass. As he gazed out the window of the plane, he couldn't help but think this wasn't the way this trip was supposed to begin. He had planned on whisking away his love on a private jet for a surprise trip to one of the most romantic cities in the world. He had told her it was a business trip to London, but in fact, it was a surprise getaway to Rome, with a brief business meeting at the very beginning. The rest of the time would be for them to relax and enjoy each other's company. Now, he sat alone, next to some stranger in first class, staring out into the clouds. He checked his watch. It had been nearly 20 hours since he overheard Jem telling Rio to end his engagement with Jerrica. No matter how many vodka tonics he ordered, nothing seemed to ease the pain of a shattered heart. It only helped him to bring his total sleep count to two hours.

Never one to be gullible, Riot was always weary of any possible scenario, good or bad. So hearing the woman he loved telling another man she wanted him to end his engagement with another woman was more than surprising to him. How could he not see that Jem still had feelings for someone else? How could he not see the truth? All this time he had spent with her made him think they were fated to be. He told himself that. She made him believe that, but her heart still belonged to the man he stole her from, or at least thought he did.

Then there was Jerrica. His friend. How could he face her again and not tell her the truth about her fiancé? If she hadn't already found out the truth. He had thought about seeing Jerrica after the concert, after his run-in with _them_. But he was afraid telling Jerrica the truth would send Jem running into Rio's arms forever. Or perhaps open a different door, something he wasn't quite ready to admit was there.

Most importantly, he wasn't prepared to lose Jem for good. There was a small hope in his heart that she would come to her senses. Even if that happened, however, he wasn't sure how much he could trust her again. After all, he had given her his entire heart. She was the woman he longed to be with. She was beautiful, talented, and caring. She was perfect. Or almost perfect. Somehow, no matter how hard he tried to win her entire heart, she held back. Now it all made sense to him.

He decided to order another drink. The only thing comforting to him at that moment was the freshly poured vodka tonic in his glass and the idea of not having to face _her_. At least for a few days. He needed the time away to figure out just how much _she_ was worth fighting for.


	8. Chapter 23-27

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

"Buonasera, Signorina. Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, Jerrica Benton," she replied.

"Ahh, Miss Benton," the Italian man at the front desk replied. "We have beautiful room ready for you! Che bellisima!" he added.

"Prego," she said with a smile. "I'm looking for my colleague, Rory Llewelyn. Could you possibly tell me which room he's in?"

"I'm sorry," the man replied, "it's the hotel's policy not to give out guest information even to such an important guest as yourself. But I did see Signore Llewelyn enter the dining room not too long ago," he smiled.

"Oh, wonderful!" Jerrica replied beaming from ear to ear.

"Shall I have the bellhop bring your luggage to your room while you join Signore Llewelyn?" he kindly asked.

She paused for a moment. After traveling for nearly 16 hours, Jerrica was hoping to freshen up, but knew she couldn't waste any more time. She needed to see him. "That would be wonderful," she finally answered. "Thank you."

After completing her guest registration at the front desk, Jerrica quickly stuffed her wallet, room key and passport into her purse, and made her way to the hotel's restaurant. She had no idea what Riot's reaction would be seeing her there. At least she knew he wasn't mad at _her_. But perhaps he wanted to be alone and wouldn't be too thrilled with her company. Perhaps her being there made it look like she didn't trust him with business. But it was too late now to turn back.

"Good evening, Signorina," the maître d greeted her. "Table for one or do you have an awaiting party?"

"Well, um," Jerrica began to stutter as she looked around for Riot, "I'm looking for someone. I'm looking for –." Just as she was about to say his name, she spotted his golden mane across the room at a table nestled in the corner. To her dismay, he wasn't alone. Sitting across from Riot was an attractive woman with piercing green eyes and long red-hair. She could have easily been a model.

"I'm sorry, Signorina," the maître d replied. "I did not hear the name of your party."

"I-I-I –." Jerrica found herself unable to utter a single word. While she didn't expect Riot to welcome her with open arms, she least expected to find him with another woman. After all, his feelings for Jem ran deep. At least, she thought they did. Could she have hurt him that much to make him go after the next gorgeous woman he met? "I'm sorry," Jerrica finally managed to say. "I think –."

"Jerrica?" Before she could continue explaining herself to the maître d, a familiar voice interrupted.

"Riot," she murmured as she turned to face him. "Hi."

"What on earth are you doing here?" he smiled.

"I got your message," she began, "and I thought you could use some help on business. I mean, not that I thought you needed help. I just thought you could use some company. That's all." She began to turn as red as Riot's companion's hair.

"I'm sorry to have left in such a hurry and leave you with a PR mess," he explained. "So I made sure my PR and legal teams were at your disposal."

"Yes, thank you. I greatly appreciate that," she replied. "I left instructions for my team at Starlight to work with them while we're gone. I'm sure they're all handling it perfectly fine," she smiled.

Riot smiled back. His eyes still looked sad, but the unexpected sight of Jerrica brought a little life back to his face. "Please," he said as he held his hand out for her to take, "I have someone I'd like you to meet." As he led her back to his table, Jerrica was apprehensive about finding out who his woman could be. He wouldn't have been so eager to introduce the two of them if she was suddenly Jem's new replacement, knowing that Jerrica and Jem were friends. "Jerrica, I'd like you to meet my cousin Vivienne Cavill. Vivienne, this is Jerrica Benton, head of Starlight Music and manager of the Holograms."

"It's a pleasure meeting you," the tall redheaded woman greeted her.

"It's a pleasure meeting you as well," a relieved Jerrica replied as the two women shook hands.

"Rory's been telling me so much about you," Vivienne added, much to Jerrica's surprise.

"My cousin lives in London," Riot explained. "I called her a few days ago when I began making plans for the trip and found out she is engaged to the manager of the band we're looking to meet with. She said they would be in Rome this week, so I changed my plans to Rome."

"Wow! This is a surprise!" Jerrica laughed. "And congratulations on the engagement," she added.

"Thank you," Vivienne responded. "Congratulations are in order for you as well. I read the news of your engagement. That's wonderful!"

An awkward moment of silence ensued as Jerrica tried to crack a smile. "Uh, I'm no longer engaged," she confessed. Riot was surprised.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Vivienne replied with a hint of embarrassment.

"Please, don't be," Jerrica reassured her. "It's a long story," she replied to avoid having to explain herself. Another awkward moment of silence ensued. "And now, here we are," she quickly said to change the subject.

"I'm glad you both could be here," Vivienne smiled. "The band is playing tonight at one of the clubs nearby. I invited Rory as my guest. You should join us!" Vivienne insisted. "I can introduce you both after the concert."

"That would be wonderful!" Jerrica answered with delight. The evening was turning out much better than she had expected.

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

After dinner, Vivienne went ahead to meet with her boyfriend before the start of the concert. Jerrica returned to her room to change into something more appropriate than a tailored business suit. She knew Riot would be waiting for her, so she didn't waste any time getting ready. She remembered to pack something for a night out on the town, or two – something Jem would wear.

Jerrica settled on a purple jumpsuit with a strapless sweetheart neckline and silver belt with matching silver high heels. After growing her hair out the last few weeks, it was finally long enough to put in a high ponytail. "It's show time, Synergy," she murmured as she gave herself one final glance in the mirror before heading down to the lobby to meet Riot.

The elevator ride was slow, typical for a turn of the century hotel. She could feel her heart palpitating faster as the elevator ticked, 3 . . . 2 . . . 1. _Ding._

As she got out of the elevator, Riot simultaneously got out of the adjacent car and the two music executives avoided a near collision. Instead, they locked eyes with one another.

"Jerrica, I'm so sorry," Riot greeted her. "I should pay more attention to where I'm going," he smiled, taking a step back to admire her appearance.

"I should do the same," she coyly laughed.

"You look very beautiful tonight," he complimented her.

"Why, thank you," she replied. "You look beautiful too, I mean –," she turned as red as her earrings, "you look wonderful as well," she managed to correct herself, turning even more red.

"Thank you," he smiled, knowing what she meant. "Shall we?" he asked as he gestured for her to lead the way.

"We shall," she replied, slowly turning back to her normal shade.

"Are you up for a walk?" he asked. "The venue isn't too far from here. It would be quicker to walk than hail a taxi."

"I'm up for anything tonight," Jerrica answered. "It's quite a beautiful night," she mused as she gazed into the Roman sky.

"Have you been here before?" Riot asked, leading her through the narrow the alleys of the ancient city.

"No, I've been to Venice," she replied. "It's beautiful there."

"Venice _is_ beautiful," he agreed. "But Rome," he paused as he thought for the perfect words to say, "Rome is called the eternal city for a reason. Its culture, its history, its beauty, its mystery. No matter how many times I've been here, it's still as enchanting as the first time," he mused.

"Well, you'll just have to show me around," Jerrica smiled.

"It would be my pleasure, Miss Benton," he smiled back.

"When are you planning on heading back home?" she asked.

"I have yet to schedule a flight home," he replied. "And you?"

"I haven't scheduled a return trip yet either," she answered. "I just needed to –," Jerrica paused.

"Needed to get away?" he finished her sentence.

"I guess, you can say that," she admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear about your engagement," he said, phishing to see if the engagement had something to do with Jem.

"I'm sorry too," she sighed, trying to find the courage to tell Riot the truth.

"Rio is a fool," he blurted out, much to Jerrica's surprise. "I'm sorry if I'm being too forward," he replied.

"You're not," she assured him. "May I ask why you suddenly left for Rome?" She knew the reason, but she was eager to listen to his side of the story.

Riot fell silent. She glanced over only to see the pain of betrayal still lingering in his dark green eyes. He sighed, but before he could respond, a black Fiat suddenly turned the corner and headed towards their direction in the cramped alley. Blinded by the bright headlights, Jerrica stood motionless. As the car quickly approached them, Jerrica felt a pull and soon found herself pressed up against a chilly brick wall with Riot using his body to shield her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, caressing her cheek, as soon as the car passed them.

"I-I-I'm fine," she stuttered, looking up towards him. Still blinded by the bright lights, Jerrica could barely see, but felt the warmth of his breath. He leaned in towards her, their noses just slightly brushing against each other. She closed her eyes. He gazed down at her, her beautiful face cupped in his hands. "Riot," Jerrica began, "there's something I need to say –."

"Rory! Jerrica!" cried a voice in the distance. Both turned in the direction of the voice. It was Vivienne. "I thought that was you," she said as she emerged from a dimly lit alley.

"Hello, Vivienne," Riot greeted her.

"The concert is this way," she smiled. "You're both just in time!"

She led them down the alley to the backdoor of the concert venue. It was a small indoor theater, which seated just barely 100 people. The rest was standing room only, but the theater was packed and the fans were chanting the group's name, Voyager. They took their seats at one of the private balconies just as the music began. The crowd was electric. Jerrica felt the energy on stage, reminding her of Jem's last performance with Riot. If there was any hope for more performances with Riot in the future, she needed to tell him the truth – the truth about who she really was.

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

"Aren't they amazing?" Vivienne marveled as Voyager took one last bow on stage. Jerrica and Riot both smiled at her in agreement. "Peter and the band will meet us as the club next door," she said as they turned to leave the balcony. Peter Lund was her boyfriend and the manager of Voyager. Jerrica and Riot were hoping to get him to agree that night to the band recording a song for their Christmas album.

They quickly arrived to a packed nightclub, about half the size of the theater they had just left. Vivienne led them to a table in the corner where a dark-haired, bearded man was sitting. As he saw them approach, he promptly stood up from his seat. "Hello, Darling," he greeted her in his British accent.

"Hi, Peter," Vivienne said, leaning in for a kiss. "Peter, this is my cousin Rory Llewelyn and his colleague, Jerrica Benton."

"Riot!" he exclaimed as he reached his hand out to the Stinger. "It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"And you as well," Riot greeted back with a handshake.

"I'm a huge fan of the Stingers," he grinned, "and Jem and the Holograms as well," he said turning to greet Jerrica. "It is a pleasure of mine as well to meet you, Jerrica Benton," he said, kissing her hand.

"Very nice to meet you, Peter," she replied. "The concert was amazing!" she exclaimed. "Thank you both of having us," she said to Peter and Vivienne.

"Please, sit," Peter replied to his guests as a waiter came by to take their drink orders. Once the two couples settled into their table, the after party was underway. Both Riot and Jerrica wanted to talk business before the drinks started to pour more heavily, but business seemed the furthest from Peter's mind. He was more interested in talking about the Stingers, or Holograms. He seemed more of a fan than a band manager.

"Peter, Jerrica and I would like to have Voyager record a Christmas song for an album Stingers Sound and Starlight Music are doing for charity," Riot finally said.

The permanent grin on Peter's face was suddenly not so permanent. "Riot, my friend," he began, "I believe your lovely cousin failed to mention that I hate discussing business at a party," he snidely remarked.

" _Who does this fool think he is?"_ a chagrinned Riot thought to himself. He was beginning to seethe. He couldn't decide if he should give Peter a taste of his own medicine, or take the high road and leave with Jerrica.

"Peter, please," Vivienne interjected, embarrassed by her boyfriend's drunken demeanor.

"That's quite alright, Vivienne," Riot replied, unsuccessfully hiding his annoyance in his visage.

"Next time you and Miss Benton want to talk business, at least entertain me with a song or something first," he laughed mockingly. Unknown to Jerrica and Riot, Peter was known to push people to their limits just to see how far they would go to get what they wanted out of him.

Jerrica felt Riot's anger. She was angered. Peter Lund had no right to talk to them that way, but she wanted Voyager on the album. They were currently the hottest new band in Europe and would help increase sales overseas. Jerrica knew she had to do something before Riot did. While he was definitely a more humble Riot these days, he was still a proud man. Without saying a word, Jerrica stood up from her seat and marched on stage. Voyager had just played a quick encore performance for the smaller crowd. She whispered something to the lead guitarist, who then relayed it to the rest of the band. The lights went dim and the spotlight focused on Jerrica as the band began to play _Only Me and the Music._

Riot's jaw dropped as he watched Jerrica mesmerize the crowd. He was mesmerized. He never thought in a million years she could sing like that, like _Jem_! He had seen Jem perform that song on stage several times and Jerrica performed it exactly the way she did. It was as if Jem was on stage at that moment. Once the song ended, Jerrica was given a standing ovation. The crowd loved her. She was a natural.

"That was amazing!" a completely stunned Riot marveled as she returned to the table.

"Thank you," she coyly smiled at him, still in disbelief at what she just did.

"Jerrica, I didn't know you sang too!" Vivienne exclaimed. "That was wonderful!"

"Thank you, Vivienne," she replied. "Well, Peter," she said turning to Vivienne's boyfriend, "now will you agree to Voyager doing the album with us?"

Peter was in complete aw. "If you promise you'll perform for us again sometime, then yes!" he exclaimed. "That was absolutely amazing!"

Jerrica smiled and turned to Riot. The anger was gone, erased from his face thanks to Jerrica's impromptu performance. He proudly gazed at her as the members of Voyager flocked to compliment her performance.

Vivienne turned to her cousin, "That Jerrica Benton is one incredible woman," she said to him, noticing the look in his eyes.

"She is," he agreed, still shocked at what he just witnessed.

"Is this other woman really worth the agony?" she teased. Riot gave her a thoughtful look.

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

"Miss Benton, Mr. Llewelyn, it was a pleasure meeting you both!" Peter Lund exclaimed as his stretch limousine pulled up in front of Jerrica and Riot's hotel.

"The pleasure is ours," Riot snidely remarked, avoiding all eye contact with him and turning to his cousin for a hug.

"I'll give you a call, Rory," his cousin whispered to him.

"Vivienne, Peter, thank you for a wonderful evening," Jerrica smiled as the driver held open the door for her to exit. Riot followed.

"I'll be in touch!" Peter exclaimed as the limousine pulled away.

Jerrica turned to Riot and exclaimed, "We did it!" as she pulled out an envelope from her purse. Inside was the contract Peter just signed to have Voyager record on the album.

"No, Jerrica Benton, you did it," he corrected her with a smile. "Peter Lund is a classless, drunken fool, but what you did was incredible," he marveled. "I didn't realize you had that voice in you." She looked at him thoughtfully, trying to find a response, but all she could do was smile. He smiled back and sighed. "Would you like to join me for a celebratory drink?" he asked, offering his arm for her to take

"Yes, that would be wonderful," she smiled, reciprocating his gesture as he led them inside their hotel and into the restaurant, taking a seat at the bar. It was near midnight and the restaurant was as roaring as it had been during dinnertime. Groups of tourists and executives filled the restaurant, most likely trying to fight the fatigue of traveling, commonly known as jet lag.

"Buonasera, Signori," the bartender greeted them. "What would you like to drink tonight?"

Riot gestured for Jerrica to order first. "I'd like a glass of red wine, please," she told the bartender.

"Any preference?" he asked.

"Would you happen to have any Barolo from the 1964 vintage?" Riot asked before Jerrica could reply to the waiter.

"Only by the bottle," the bartender replied.

"A bottle it is," he smiled giving the bartender the go ahead. "If you don't mind," he quickly checked with Jerrica for her approval.

"Not at all," Jerrica replied. "You know your wines," she added.

"Impressed?" he purred with a smile that could make any girl faint.

"You're a very worldly man, Rory Llewelyn," she replied. "What do you suggest I do in Rome before returning home?"

The waiter returned with an unopened bottle of Barolo. "Ecco!" he said as he showed Riot the bottle for his approval. Riot nodded. They watched as the bartender opened the bottle and poured a small amount into a glass for Riot to taste. He nodded in approval, and the bartender began pouring a glass for each of them.

"Let's toast to a bright future ahead between Stingers Sound and Starlight Music," he suggested, raising his glass to Jerrica.

"To Stingers Sound and Starlight," Jerrica toasted back, beaming from ear to ear as she took a sip from her glass.

"I didn't realize you could sing like that," Riot changed the subject. "Why are you not on stage?" he asked.

"Performing isn't really my thing," she replied. "I leave it up to the other girls."

"You have an amazing voice," he complimented her. "You should sing more often," he smiled.

"Well, thank you," she blushed.

"You know, I'm working on this album," he teased her. She smiled.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Mr. Llewelyn," she flirted back.

"I know the people in charge pretty well, so if you change your mind," he teased her again.

"I'll think about it, but don't hold your breath," she joked back.

"Was there something you wanted to tell me earlier?" he asked her, remembering the incident in the alley.

"Uh," Jerrica stuttered. "I wanted to tell you something about Jem," she confessed.

"About Jem?" Riot was surprised.

"I know about the exchange between her and Rio after the concert the other night," she began. Riot was all ears. "It wasn't what you think," she said. "Jem was trying to help me."

"What do you mean?" a puzzled Riot asked.

"I didn't have the heart to tell Rio the truth about me not wanting to marry him. So she tried to tell him for me and you overheard at the worst possible moment," Jerrica revealed.

"You mean you came all the way to Rome to tell me that?" a shocked Riot replied.

"I guess you could say I was returning a favor to Jem," she hesitantly answered.

"Thank you for telling me, Jerrica," Riot smiled. "You're a good woman, you know that?"

"I know you care about her a lot and she cares a lot about you too," she answered. After an awkward silence, "Well, thank you for the night cap," she said. "I should head up to bed and try to get some rest. It's been a long day of travelling."

"Thank you for joining me and thank you for being a great partner," he smiled.

"Are we still on for sightseeing tomorrow?" she asked, stepping down from the barstool.

"Of course. It would be my pleasure," he answered, getting up from the stool to give her a hug goodnight.

"Until tomorrow," she said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek before walking towards the elevators. He watched her as she disappeared into the lobby.

"Good night," he paused as he thought for a moment, and then whispered her name.

"You are quite the lucky man," the bartender interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, she's an amazing woman," a thoughtful Riot replied. He quickly motioned for the bill.

Back in her room, Jerrica replayed the events of that night over and over in her head. She wanted to tell Riot the truth about who she really was, but the closer she got to him as Jerrica, the more scared she was of losing him. At least she still had him as Jem, but she couldn't help to wonder if he really was falling for her, as herself. Sinking deep into her thoughts, Jerrica was surprised by a knock.

"Riot!" she exclaimed as she opened the door.

Without a word, he placed his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She kissed him back. As he slowly pulled away, he looked Jerrica in the eyes, studying her face. With a bewildered expression, he whispered, "Jem?" Jerrica stood silent. "Are _you_ really Jem?" he asked.

Jerrica was stunned. She wasn't ready to tell him the truth at that moment, but she knew that he could see through her disguise and could no longer hide it from him. She didn't have the heart to betray him nor the energy to keep up with her charade any longer where he was concerned. She knew if she didn't tell him now, she would never tell him and would find herself in the same predicament she found herself between Rio and her alter ego. After a long hesitation, she finally found the courage to speak. "Yes, Riot," she confessed. "I am Jem."

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

The morning sun peered between the historic buildings of Rome and through the sheer curtains of Jerrica's hotel room, shining brightly on her face, awakening her from a somewhat restful night's sleep. "Was last night a dream?" she mumbled to herself, half awake, half tempted to close the thick, Venetian curtains she didn't bother to close the night before. She peered over to the clock on the nightstand – 9:25. She rolled over to see that the other side of the bed was empty, yet disheveled. Still in a bit of a haze, partly from jetlag, mostly from the events of the night before, Jerrica quickly got out of bed and put on a terry cloth robe. She tiptoed out to the parlor of her suite and noticed the sheer curtains dancing in the warm breeze. The French doors to the terrace were open.

"Good morning," a smiling Riot, wearing unbuttoned black satin pajamas, greeted her as she walked onto the private terrace, which overlooked the Capitoline Hill.

"Good morning," she replied as he got up from the small table to kiss her cheek and pull out the chair next to him.

"Coffee?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she responded. "Have you been up for long?" she asked.

"About an hour," he mused as he poured her a cup of coffee from a small cart next to the table.

"An hour?" she reiterated. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you, especially after you went to sleep so late," he devilishly smiled at her as he sat down again. Jerrica blushed. "So I returned to my room, put on something more appropriate for _lounging_ while I waited for you to wake up, and checked in with Minx and Rapture."

"I should probably check in with the Holograms myself," she thoughtfully replied. "How are Minx and Rapture?" she asked wondering if he mentioned anything to them about _her_.

"They're up to being their usual selves," he responded, somewhat mocking them and their lack of positive contribution to the world other than their music. "And in case you're wondering, I did not mention a word about you or Jem," he reassured her. "You can trust me, Jerrica," he said, looking her sternly in the eyes. "You have my word."

"I know. Thank you, Riot, I appreciate that," she replied.

"You can thank me by being 100 percent honest with me from now on," he continued, alluding to keeping Jem's identity from him. She was silent, unsure of how to explain herself. "But I understand why you didn't say anything for so long," he added, much to her surprise.

"You _do_?" she asked. This wasn't the reaction she expected, at least from Rio. With Riot, she was unsure what to expect.

"Yes," he replied bluntly. "As much as I've wanted Jem –" he corrected himself, "I mean, _you_ to be open with me as much as I've been open with you, I understand why. In a way, I am glad you waited to tell me."

"You're not mad at all?" Jerrica clarified.

"Should I be mad?" he questioned her.

"I was always afraid to tell Rio the truth –," she began to explain.

"You mean _he_ doesn't know?" a shocked Riot interjected. Jerrica quickly shook her head. Riot was stunned. "How could he _not_ have known?"

"Like was saying, I was always afraid to tell him the truth for how he might react," Jerrica replied.

"But how could he have spent so much time with you, and you as Jem that he _didn't_ know?" a perplexed Riot pressed further. Jerrica was silent. She had no answer. "I've seen _you_ radiating through Jem, and last night at the club, I saw Jem radiating through you," he said thoughtfully as Jerrica remained silent, unsure of how to respond to _his_ revelation.

"I have no answer for you, Riot," she managed to reply. "I'm just relieved you're not mad."

"I'm not Rio," Riot quickly reminded her. "I can see that there's an unselfish reason to everything you do," he continued. Jerrica smiled. "And why should _I_ be mad?" he asked her. "Do you not remember the many times I told _Jem_ that I respected _her_ desire to keep things about _her_ life private until _she_ was ready to share them?" he teased her. Jerrica nodded. "And to be honest, considering how madly infatuated I've been with _her_ the last few months, I wouldn't have been able to see the _real_ _you_ had you told me so soon," he said to her as he reached over to hold her hand.

"I don't know what to say," she muttered as she felt a mixed emotion of guilt, relief, and joy. "What do we do now?" she asked.

Riot thought for a second, "We get to know each other, as Rory and Jerrica," he responded. "No more Riot and Jem, it's just you and me," he smiled. Jerrica smiled back. "As much as I know what there is to know, I want to know _you_ more, Jerrica. Really, I know you as Jem and I know you as my colleague. I want to know you as _my_ Jerrica," he said, playfully caressing her hand.

Thinking back to when they first met, Jerrica never imagined in a million years that the man before her, rock heartthrob and the most sought after bachelor in music, would be interested in the _real_ her, not her gorgeous alter ego. "So what do we do about Jem?" she inquired. "It would be awkward and the makings of a great Harriet Horn show if you left for Rome as Jem's boyfriend and returned with Jerrica Benton," she teased.

"Did we ever come out officially as a couple?" he teased, referring to her as Jem.

"No, but people know," she responded.

"Only my Minx and Rapture," he answered, "but I can certainly think of something to tell them."

"And Kimber," she admitted.

"Of course," he replied.

"She figured it out," she clarified.

"Well, I could continue seeing Jem and make it public, but just how long will _dating_ Jem last?" he asked her.

Jerrica was unsure what he meant by that. Was he telling her that he did not plan to date her that long? "I'm not so sure I understand what you mean," she replied.

"Jerrica, I'm only human," he said candidly.

"You want to date other women?" she blurted before he could continue.

"No, that's not what I meant," he protested. "Dating is only temporary. At some point, I imagine, a man would want to make a more serious commitment to the woman he loves," he explained. "I can't be seriously committed to someone who doesn't really exist, can I?" he asked rhetorically.

She laughed, "I guess you can't."

"Jerrica, if I'm going to be with you, the _real_ you, I want the whole world to know," he replied as he stood up from his chair, pulling her up to wrap his arms around her. "I don't want to be running around with Jem when you're not around, and with you when Jem's not around. Despite what how the media tries to portray me, that's not the kind of man I am. Even though it's still _you_ , the world won't see that. You can be anyone you want to be with me privately, but I only want one woman publicly – _you_ ," he said, planting a delicate kiss on her lips.

In an instant, Jerrica went weak in the knees. She melted in his arms as his words resonated with her, "Whatever you want, Rory," she managed to say as he intimately rested his forehead on hers.

"I like that," he purred. "One more thing," he said, suddenly pulling away, "You _are_ no longer engaged, correct?"

"As far as I'm concerned, I was never engaged to begin with," she explained.

"Good," he said as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back into the suite. "Sightseeing can wait until tomorrow," he playfully smiled.

 _Stay tuned for 'Part II: Revelations' as secrets are revealed and a shocking admission is made._


End file.
